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PRACTICE 

IN 

Weaving  *#>  Loom-fixing 

A  COMPLETE  MANUAL  FOR  THE  WEAVE-ROOM 


D.  B.  NIGHTINGALE, 

Master  Weaver 


PUBLISHED  BYTHE  TEXTILE  RECORD 

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PRACTICE) 

IN 

Weaving  and  Loom-Fixing, 


A  Complete  Manual  for  the 
Weave  Room. 

With  full  detailed  instructions  respecting  the 

Construction  and  Operation 

of  Woolen  and  Worsted  Looms,  including 

necessary  calculations. 

By  B.  D.  NIGHTINGALE, 

Weaving  Master. 

Published  by 

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425  Walnut  Street,  Philadelphia. 

1887. 


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TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 
MAKING  THE  LOOM  READY. 

PREPARATORY  OPERATIONS — THE  BOXES — FITTING  THE 
PINS — THE  SHAFT — THE  PICKING  PLATES — THE  PICK- 
ING-BARS—SETTING  AND  FASTENING  THE  SHOE 

MAKING  CONNECTIONS — THE  SWEEP-STICK  AND  STRAP 

— THE  CRANK-SHAFT 5 

CHAPTER  II. 
LATHE  AND  SHUTTLE-BOXES. 

THE  CRANII-ARM  OF  THE  LATHE — SETTING  THE  LATHE 
— FIXING  THE  SHUTTLE-BOXES  AND  FITTING  THE 
SHUTTLES — BENDING  THE  BOX-ROD — PICKERS  AND 

PICKER-RACES        .       .       . 17 

CHAPTER  III. 
THE  SHUTTLE. 

SHUTTLE  TROUBLES  AND  THEIR  REMEDIES— PICKER-RACE 
AND  SHUTTLE-BOX — CAUSES  OF  DIFFICULTIES — BEND- 
ING THE  REED — PUTTING  IN  THE  PICKERS  AND 
PICKER-STICKS — THE  BUNTER — THE  PACKING  ON  THE 
SPINDLE — THE  PROTECTOR— A  TIGHT  SPRING  ON  THE 
ROD— THE  KNOCK-OFF  LEVER— THE  SHIPPER  AND 
FORK 24 

CHAPTER  IV. 
HEAD-MOTIONS. 

THE  PUMP  MOTION— METHOD  OF  FIXING  IT— SETTING  THE 

STUDS  AND  CHAIN CYLINDER  CRANK HARNESS-WIRE 

AND  STRAP  CONNECTIONS — THE  FINGER-JACK  LOOM — 
SETTING  UP  THE  HEAD — HOOKS  AND  FINGERS — STICK- 
ING OF  THE  SLIDE — THE  SHED — CAUSES  OF  MISPICKS 
— THE  HORIZONTAL  MOTION— MODERN  IMPROVED 
HEAD-MOTIONS 37 

CHAPTER  V. 
THE  BOX-MOTION. 
THE  OLD  CAM-MOTION — THE   FORKS — SETTING  RATCHET 

AND     PLATE  — THE     FRICTION-BAND  —  TIMING     THE 

STARTING   OF   THE    BOXES REGULATING  THE   STRAPS 

— WORN  FINGERS — FRICTION  OF  THE  CHAIN-CYLIN- 
DER— PUTTING  ON  THE  CYLINDER — SETTING  THE 
CYLINDER-GEAR — BOXES  MISSING — LEVERS — RUNNING 
THE  FILLING-CHAIN — THE  FANCY  BOX-MOTION  .  .  57 

3 


CHAPTER  VI. 

STARTING  A  WARP.  Pase 

SETTING  A  WARP  READY— CONDITION  OF  THE  HAR- 
NESSES—REPAIRING HARNESSES — HOOKS — NUTS  ON 
THE  HEDDLE-WIRES— RULE  FOR  THE  NUMBER  OF 
HEDDLES— DRAFT— DRAWING  IN  THE  WARP— THE 
RIGHT  KIND  OF  REEDS — IMPERFECT  REEDS — REED- 
ING THE  WARP— FINDING  THE  WIDTH— MEASURING 
—LEASE-RODS 73 

CHAPTER   VII. 
WARP  MATTERS. 

LIFTING  IN  THE  WARP— HOOKING  UP  THE  HARNESS- 
DRAWING  IN  THE  SELVAC.KS — THE  BEAM-FRICTION — 
DIFFICULTIES  WITH  BEAMS — TYING-IN  THE  WARP — 
FASTENING  THE  REED — HANDLING  THE  CHAIN — 
PUTTING  ON  THE  LINKS — POINTS  ABOUT  LINKS — 
BUILDING  FILLING-CHAINS — PINS  OF  THE  BARS — SIZE 
OF  THE  SHED— EXAMINING  THE  HARNESS  ....  84 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
SHUTTLES,  TEMPLES,  AND  BELTS. 

GOOD  AND  BAD  SHUTTLES — SHELLACING  SHUTTLES — 
POINTS  OF  SHUTTLES — MEETING  IN  THE  SHED — IN- 
JURY DONE  BY  SHUTTLES — TEMPLES — THE  USE  OF 
HOOKS — STRAPS — THE  DUTCHER  AND  OTHER  TEMPLES 
— SETTING  THE  TEMPLE — METHOD  OF  PUTTING  ON 

TEMPLES— THE  BELT  ON  THE  LOOM— OILING  THE 
BELT— PUTTING  ON  THE  BELT— LACING— BELT-SLIP- 
PING   95 

CHAPTER   IX. 
IN  THE  WEAVE- ROOM. 

DUTIES  AND  RESPONSIBILITIES  OF  OVERSEERS— SUPPLIES 
FOR  THE  WEAVE-ROOM,  AND  THEIR  COST — EXAMI- 
NATIONS— PERCHING,  AND  HOW  TO  DO  IT  RIGHT — 
TICKETING  AND  MEASURING — SEWING-IN — BOOKS  FOR 
THE  WEAVE- ROOM — A  GOOD  FORM  SUGGESTED  .  .  1 09 

CHAPTER   X. 

CALCULATIONS. 

CALCULATIONS  FOR  WOOLF.N  YARNS— RUNS  AND  CUTS- 
FULL  EXPLANATIONS — METHODS  WITH  WORSTED 
YARNS — TABLE  OF  RUNS,  CUTS,  YARDS,  AND  GRAINS 
— WEICJHT  IN  A  YARD  OF  WARP — FILLING  CALCULA- 
TIONS— TO  FIND  RUNS  FROM  OUNCES — POUNDS 
NEEDED  FOR  CUTS — PERCENTAGES  OF  YARNS — SIZES 
OF  PULLEYS — PERCENTAGES  OF  WOOL,  ETC.  .  .  .  I2O 

4 


CHAPTER  I. 

MAKING  THE  LOOM  READY. 

PREPARATORY  OPERATIONS — THE  BOXES  —FITTING  THE  PINS 
—THE  SHAFT— THE  PICKING  PLATES— THE  PICKING-BARS 
—SETTING  AND  FASTENING  THE  SHOE— MAKING  CONNEC- 
TIONS— THE  SWEEPSTICK  AND  STRAP— THE  CRANK-SHAFT. 

Fastening  the  boxes.— If  I  were  to  begin 
the  overhauling  of  a  loom,  I  should  strip  it  of 
everything  but  the  two  principal  shafts,  and 
those  I  would  lift  out  of  the  boxes.  Fixers 
have  always  been  troubled  with  the  boxes  get- 
ting loose,  and  the  difficulty  that  we  experience 
in  reaching  them  to  tighten  them  up  makes 
adjustment  of  a  loose  box  a  job  that  any  fixer 
dreads.  So  that  now,  while  everything  is  out 
of  the  loom,  it  is  a  good  time  to  make  them  per- 
manently fast.  On  the  new  Cromptom  looms 
the  rib  that  is  cast  on  the  frame  helps  to  keep 
them  in  their  place;  but  the  old  looms  are 
always  a  trouble  if  the  boxes  are  not  well  fixed. 

Take  the  box  out,  and  lay  a  straight  edge  on 
the  inside.  If  the  middle  rib  is  higher  than  the 
outside  ones,  two  of  the  best  bolts  you  can  find 
will  not  keep  it  from  rocking  on  the  frame ;  and 


unless  you  have  one  or  two  unsightly  pieces  of 
picking-stick  to  brace  it  down,  the  chances  are 
that  you  will  have  to  crawl  under  the  loom  very 
often  to  tighten  the  box  and  bark  your  knuckles. 
File  across  the  ribs  until  your  straight-edge 
shows  them  to  be  even,  care  being  taken  lest 
you  get  them  slanting  from  either  side. 

Fitting  the  pin. — In  putting  the  box  on, 
take  time  enough  to  fit  a  good  pin  through  both 
box  and  frame,  and  in  such  a  manner  as  to  draw 
the  box  down,  so  that  it  fits  snug  on  the  top  of 
the  frame.  This  is  often  carelessly  done,  and 
the  pin,  when  holding  the  box  up  too  high,  pre- 
vents it  from  obtaining  a  bearing  on  the  top  of 
the  frame  as  well  as  the  side.  If  this  is  the  case, 
you  cannot  keep  it  tight,  no  matter  how  hard 
you  tighten  up  the  bolts.  Do  the  job  well, 
taking  time  enough  for  it,  and  you  will  save 
yourself  much  disagreeable  duty. 

Having  fitted  the  box  to  the  frame,  so  that  it 
has  an  even  bearing  on  both  top  and  side  of  the 
frame,  the  bolts  snugly  tightened  will  hold  the 
box  so  that  it  cannot  rock  or  start. 

Set-screws.— Before  putting  the  boxes  on 
the  frame,  look  after  the  set-screws  or  cap-bolts. 
On  a  loom  that  has  been  run  any  length  of  time 
they  are  usually  found  worn  out.  It  takes  but 
a  very  short  time  to  spoil  the  set-screws  in  the 
bottom  shaft  boxes,  if  they  are  allowed  to  rattle 


around  loose  until  you  have  been  compelled  to 
tighten  them  up  to  keep  the  shaft  in  its  bearings. 
While  you  are  at  it,  fit  in  good  set-screws.  Let 
them  screw  in  rather  tight.  You  cannot  screw 
them  in  with  your  fingers,  perhaps ;  but  when 
they  are  in,  you  can  take  a  large  wrench  and  put 
your  muscle  to  it,  and  the  caps  will  stay  there. 

The  shaft. — We  will  next  turn  our  attention 
to  the  shaft.  The  big  gear  should  have  no 
worn-out  teeth  in  it.  They  always  come  where 
the  pick  begins,  or  the  protector  strikes.  If 
they  are  worn  at  all,  I  should  cut  a  new  key- 
way  one-quarter  of  the  way  around  the  hub. 
The  gear  should  fit  to  perfection.  We  want  the 
picking  shaft  to  stay  in  its  place  when  we  get 
through  with  it,  and  we  cannot  afford  to  leave 
the  gear-wheel  running  out  of  true  on  the  shaft. 

So,  if  not  perfectly  true,  get  it  fixed,  and, 
when  it  is  keyed  on,  see  to  it  that  the  key  fits 
snugly  the  whole  length  of  the  key-way. 

The  advantages  of  a  perfect-fitting  key  are 
that  there  is  no  danger  of  the  hub  being  split  in 
driving  it  in.  A  light  riveting  hammer  will 
drive  it  in,  and  it  will  stay  for  good  when  it  gets 
there.  And,  not  the  least  important,  you  do 
not  have  to  waste  several  hours  of  precious  time 
to  get  it  out  when  you  want  to. 

The  picking  plates, — Next  look  after  the 
picking  plates.  If  they  have  ever  been  loose, 


the  key-way  will  be  found  ragged,  and  almost 
useless.  Either  cut  a  wider  key-way,  or  turn 
the  shaft  over  and  cut  a  new  one  on  the  opposite 
side.  Be  sure  that  each  plate  is  fastened  on  the 
shaft  exactly  like  the  others  and  spare  no  pains 
to  get  this  result,  or  else  trouble  will  follow,  and 
be  likely  to  continue  for  a  while,  too. 

While  the  plates  are  loose,  see  if  the  grooves 
for  the  picking-roll-extension  are  not  worn  too 
badly  on  the  edges.  If  they  are,  it  is  very 
important  that  they  be  fixed,  either  by  planing 
or  filing,  while  you  have  a  chance.  If  the  grooves 
in  the  plate,  and  the  ribs  on  the  extension,  are 
not  square  on  the  edges,  the  bolts  are  broken 
sometimes  at  the  rate  of  two  or  three  in  a  day. 
The  usual  treatment  is  to  put  the  biggest  bolt 
that  it  is  possible  to  get  in  through  the  plate, 
and  if  that  breaks,  to  do  the  same  thing  over. 
The  right  way  is  to  fix  the  grooves  and  the 
extension,  and  then  it  does  not  take  much  of  a 
bolt  to  keep  them  fast.  Therefore  it  pays  to 
make  a  good  job  while  the  plates  are  off. 

Before  putting  on  the  plates  put  a  good  collar 
on  the  shaft,  on  the  gear  end,  to  prevent  end- 
play.  It  is  very  important  to  do  this,  for  it 
saves  the  gear  more  than  anything  you  can  do, 
by  keeping  it  tight  in  its  place  and  preventing 
it  from  slipping  with  the  pinion-gear.  Having 
done  this,  slide  the  picking-plates  on,  but  do  not 


drive  the  key  tight  until  the  picking  bars  are  in 
place,  so  that  you  can  try  the  roll  on  the  shoe, 
and  make  it  strike  the  latter  in  the  right  place. 

The  picking  bars.— Before  putting  the  pick- 
ing-bars in  place,  have  them  straight.  Little 
attention  is  paid  to  this  matter  sometimes,  and 
a  bar  is  put  in  while  twisted  and  bent,  and  then 
the  fixer  wonders  why  he  cannot  get  as  good 
pick  on  one  side  of  the  loom  as  he  does  on  the 
other,  or  why  it  is  that  one  side  takes  a  sweep- 
stick  19  inches  long,  and  the  other  side  one  of 
1 7  inches.  A  good  pick,  or  at  least  a  trustworthy 
one,  cannot  be  obtained  unless  the  picking-bar 
is  straight. 

Setting  the  shoe. — In  setting  the  shoe  we 
come  to  a  task  that  often  puzzles  fixers  of  long 
experience,  and  the  rules,  as  laid  down  by  differ- 
ent authorities,  are  seldom  alike.  Some  assert 
that  7*/£  inches  is  the  right  place;  while  others 
cannot  run  a  loom  successfully  short  of  8  inches 
from  the  socket.  Every  man  has  an  idea,  and 
possibly  a  good  one,  too ;  but  I  do  not  believe 
in  doing  much  measuring  for  the  sake  of  follow- 
ing some  rule  that  I  have  read  of.  It  is  far  less 
important  than  studying  out  the  principle  and 
being  guided  by  that.  Any  fixer  will  find  this 
out,  if  he  ever  gets  hold  of  a  kind  of  loom  where 
the  picking-shaft  is  farther  from  the  back-girth 
upon  which  the  socket  rests,  than  it  is  on  the 


Crompton  or  Knowles  looms.  It  will  then  be 
found  that  the  7^  inch  rule  is  not  the  thing. 
In  that  case  we  are  obliged  either  to  try  until 
we  get  it  right,  or  to  learn  the  principle  upon 
which  the  picking-shoe  is  constructed,  and  work 
from  such  knowledge. 

The  distance  of  7^  inches  is,  in  my  opinion, 
too  far  back  to  set  a  shoe  on  a  Crompton  loom. 
The  pick  loses  its  force  at  the  point  where  it  is 
most  needed.  The  shoe  is  so  constructed  that 
from  the  bottom  the  incline  is  about  one-half  as 
steep,  for  about  half  the  distance  travelled  by  the 
roll,  as  it  is  from  the  middle  of  that  distance  to 
the  top;  so  that  when  the  roll  strikes  the  shoe 
at  the  bottom,  the  speed  of  the  picking-stick  is 
comparatively  slow  at  first,  getting  swifter  and 
stronger  as  the  roll  reaches  the  steeper  parts, 
until  the  point  is  attained  where  the  shuttle 
leaves  the  box.  Now,  if  we  set  the  shoe  back, 
the  relation  to  the  shoe,  of  the  circle  described 
by  the  picking  roll,  is  changed  completely,  and, 
if  anything,  it  gives  more  power  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  stroke  than  it  does  at  the  last,  and 
you  borrow  power  by  lowering  the  lug-strap. 

You  then  have  a  pick  that  jerks  the  shuttle 
full  speed  at  the  start,  making  it  easy  to  fly  out 
on  the  slightest  provocation,  and  sometimes 
without  any  provocation  at  all.  Furthermore, 
the  lower  the  lug-strap  is  set,  the  nearer  you  get 


to  the  wrong  end  of  the  lever,  and  it  takes  an 
immeasurable  amount  of  increased  power  to 
throw  the  shuttle — a  loss  every  way. 

To  move  the  shoe  too  far  forward  is  to  go  to 
the  other  extreme  from  setting  it  too  far  back ; 
the  only  difference  being  that  you  cannot  run 
the  loom  at  all  if  the  shoe  is  set  directly  under 
the  shaft.  Therefore,  to  get  the  best  results,  I 
think  7^  inches  is  the  right  place  to  set  the  shoe 
on  the  Crompton  loom;  and  I  state  this  measure- 
ment, not  on  account  of  the  inches  it  takes,  but 
to  show  that  if  you  should  set  other  things  right, 
and  then  put  your  shoe  where  it  would  do  the 
most  good,  you  would  find  it  about  7^  from  the 
socket. 

Fastening  the  shoe. — Having  become  satis- 
fied that  this  is  the  place  where  we  want  the 
shoe,  then  measure  every  time,  and  in  putting 
our  picking-bar  in  place  make  the  shoe  fast 
enough  to  stay  where  you  put  it.  If  it  is  a  new 
shoe,  file  it  a  little  inside.  Most  fixers  put  the 
shoe  on,  if  it  will  go  on,  without  filing,  and  a 
bur  in  the  corner  gets  all  the  strain  of  the  tight- 
ened set-screw.  When  working,  the  bur  soon 
gets  crushed  and  the  shoe  is  loosened.  If  it  be 
filed  square  and  true  inside,  so  that  the  ribs  rest 
solid  on  the  bar,  you  have  a  bearing  which  will 
hold  better  than  an  over-tightened  set-screw, 
^nd  you  seldom  burst  the  shoe  in  fastening. 


Fastening  the  picking-arm.— On  the  same 
principle  I  would  fasten  the  picking-arm.  I 
have  often  found  home-made  picking-arms  with 
no  rib  around  the  edges,  on  the  inside.  No 
part  of  this  would  touch  the  bar  but  the  middle, 
which  in  fact  should  never  touch  at  all, and  you 
could  turn  the  set-screw  as  tight  as  possible  and 
then  rock  the  picking-arm  on  the  bar.  It  only 
runs  but  a  short  time  before  it  is  loose;  and  as 
the  fixer  dislikes  to  take  it  to  the  bench  to  make 
a  good  job  of  it,  he  gets  under  the  loom,  tightens 
it  up,  perhaps  several  times  a  day,  until  he  gets 
sufficiently  disgusted.  Then  he  takes  it  to  the 
bench  and  finds  the  bar  worn  so  that  no  picking- 
arm,  however  perfect,  will  fit  on  the  bar  and 
have  a  true  and  solid  bearing.  It  is  run  in  this 
way  for  years,  and,  times  without  number,  some 
one  has  to  fix  that  picking-arm.  On  the  new 
style  looms,  especially,  careful  attention  should 
be  paid  to  this  matter.  If  the  inside  of  the  pick- 
ing-dog is  not  filed  carefully,  to  square  it,  the 
bearing  on  which  the  loose  picking-arm  works 
soon  gets  cracked  and  broken. 

Making  connections. — Having  got  every- 
thing on  the  bar,  put  it  in  place  and  proceed  to 
make  the  connections.  The  picking-ann-stud 
should  be  in  good  shape  if  you  do  not  want  to 
be  fixing  it  every  little  while.  I  would  not  put 
a  stud  on  unless  there  is  a  good  enough  thread 


on  it  to  permit  of  the  nut  being  screwed  up  very 
tight.  If  the  stud  should  get  loose  for  a  few 
minutes,  when  you  go  to  fix  it  you  will  find  it 
spoiled.  It  should  never  get  loose;  and  it  will 
not  if  it  has  a  square,  solid  bearing  on  the  pick- 
ing-arm. 

The  pin  in  the  Stud.— A  very  insignificant 
but  troublesome  thing  is  the  pin  in  the  stud.  It 
is  too  small  an  affair  to  be  worthy  of  much  care, 
so  the  fixer  twists  a  piece  of  wire  in  the  hole  to 
serve  for  a  pin  and,  of  course,  it  cannot  come  out. 
He  cannot  get  it  out  sometimes  when  he  wants 
to  put  a  new  sweep-stick  on  in  place  of  that 
which  this  same  crooked  piece  of  wire  has  spoiled, 
by  gouging  out  the  stud-hole  of  the  stick. 

I  regard  it  as  a  matter  of  great  importance  to 
look  after  these  so-called  little  things,  and  when 
I  put  a  stud  on,  I  cut  a  leather  washer  that  will 
fit  tight  on  the  stud,  and  then  drive  a  tight, 
straight  pin  in  the  stud.  If  it  fits  the  hole  all 
right,  it  will  not  come  out ;  but  if  it  is  too  taper- 
ing it  cannot  get  a  bearing  excepting  at  its 
thickest  part  and  of  course  will  come  out.  Fit 
it  in  right.  This  will  not  take  long,  and  it  will 
save  you  many  times  the  labor  expended  because 
the  job  will  last,  to  say  nothing  of  the  sweep- 
sticks  saved. 

The  sweep-stick, — The  sweep-stick  should 
always  have  a  rivet  or  bolt  in  the  end  to  keep  it 


from  splitting  ;  and  the  prudent  fixer  or  overseer 
will  see  that  this  is  done  and  a  supply  of  them 
already  prepared  before  they  are  needed. 

The  sweep-strap, — For  a  sweep-strap,  which 
is  the  next  thing  we  will  put  on,  various  kinds 
of  material  are  used.  I  do  not  have  a  very  high 
regard  for  rotten  belting  for  this  purpose.  Nor 
are  the  canvas  sweep-straps  without  their  faults. 
The  canvas  straps,  if  everything  is  in  the  best  of 
order,  are  the  most  desirable ;  but  frequently 
they  break  the  screws  in  the  stirrup-strap  until 
the  picking  stick  is  so  full  of  screws  that  you 
are  compelled  to  take  it  off  for  want  of  room  to 
put  in  another  screw.  Some  fixers  put  the 
stirrup-strap  on  the  side  of  the  picking-stick.  It 
is  a  slovenly  and  undesirable  way  of  doing  it. 
If  the  screws  are  breaking  it  is  the  fault  of  the 
loom.  They  will  not  break  if  other  things  are 
running  all  right.  It  generally  occurs  when  the 
pick  is  such  as  to  compel  you  to  put  the  lug- 
strap  too  far  down,  and  that  is  never  necessary. 
If  power  enough  cannot  be  obtained,  overhaul 
the  picking-motion  and  make  things  right ;  and 
if  other  things  in  connection  with  the  picking- 
motion  are  doing  their  work  properly  you  can 
raise  your  sweep  connections  on  a  level  and 
there  will  be  plenty  of  power.  Do  not  punch 
your  sweep-strap  full  of  holes;  one  hole  is 
enough. 

14 


In  making  our  sweep  connections,  now  that 
we  have  had  everything  off  the  loom,  I  should 
have  the  picking-stick-stud  in  the  centre  of  the 
slot;  and  then  fasten  it  temporarily  until  I  could 
try  the  rolls  on  the  shoe.  You  can  now  move 
the  picking-plates  so  that  the  roll  strikes  the 
shoe  all  right,  and  then  make  them  fast.  This 
done,  try  the  sweep.  The  picking-roll  should 
touch  the  shoe  at  the  bottom,  and  give  enough 
sweep  to  bring  the  picking-stick  to  within  one 
inch  of  the  bunter.  If  it  does  this,  make  the 
connections  fast  and  you  will  not  have  to  move 
them  much  when  you  come  to  start  the  loom. 

The  crank-shaft. — We  will  now  fasten  every- 
thing in  connection  with  the  bottom  shaft  and 
we  are  ready  for  the  crank-shaft.  The  boxes 
should  be  given  the  same  thorough  overhauling 
that  we  gave  the  bottom  shaft-boxes.  In  gear- 
ing them  together  turn  the  picking-ball  so  that 
it  just  begins  to  move  the  shoe  and  then  gear 
the  two  shafts  together  with  the  crank  not  quite 
on  the  top,  or,  inclined  one  tooth  toward  the 
lathe.  We  may  have  to  move  it,  but  we  will 
try  the  lathe  first  and  see  if  we  are  right. 

The  picking  motion  on  the  Knowles  loom  is 
practically  the  same  as  on  the  Crompton,  and 
the  rules  for  running  the  latter,  apply  to  the 
Knowles.  In  point  of  construction  it  is  not 
excelled  by  any  loom  made.  The  same,  in  fact, 


may  be  said  of  any  picking-motion  where  a  shoe 
is  used ;  the  only  difference  being  in  the  length 
of  the  shoe-shaft  and  the  distance  from  the  back 
of  the  loom. 

When  a  Knowles  loom  is  sent  from  the  shop 
you  will  find  that  the  sweep-stick  is  in  two  parts, 
and  bolted  together  midway.  It  is  a  convenient 
arrangement  and  can  be  used  on  any  loom  to 
advantage. 

There  are  other  slight  changes  on  the  Knowles 
picking  motion,  and,  taken  as  a  whole,  it  is  a 
most  excellent  arrangement. 


CHAPTER  II. 

LATHE  AND  SHUTTLE  BOXES. 
CRANK-ARM  OF  THE  LATHE— SETTING  THE  LATHE— FIXING 

THE  SHUTTLE-BOXES  AND  FITTING  THE   SHUTTLES— BEND- 
ING THE  BOX-ROD— PICKERS  AND  PICKER-RACKS. 

Crank-arms  of  the  lathe. — In  beginning 
work  on  the  lathe  we  will  first  put  on  the  crank- 
arms.  The  strap  that  goes  on  the  crank, 
whether  it  be  of  iron  or  leather,  should  not  be 
tight.  It  is  very  easy  to  make  a  loom  run  hard 
if  this  is  too  tight,  more  e  pecially  with  an  iron 
strap.  The  thickness  of  the  crank-arm  should 
equal  the  diameter  of  the  crank.  If  it  does  not, 
when  the  bolts  are  tightened  up  the  band  or 
strap  squeezes  the  crank  so  hard  as  to  make  it 
almost  impossible  to  move  the  loom  by  hand. 
This  applies  to  new  looms  mostly. 

Setting  the  lathe. — Having  put  the  crank- 
arms  on,  we  will  next  set  the  lathe.  The  race- 
board  should  be  five-eighths  of  an  inch  below 
the  breast-beam,  and  leveled  before  fastening. 
The  middle  sword  should  be  the  last  to  be  fast- 
ened, and  should  pull  down  on  the  lathe.  To 
accomplish  this,  tighten  up  the  bolts  on  the  bot- 

17 


torn  just  enough  to  hold  what  it  gets.  Then 
olace  a  block  of  wood  on  the  race  and  strike 
with  a  loom-weight.  One  or  two  blows  will  sag 
the  lathe  down  enough  to  hold,  when  the  bolt 
should  be  tightened  up  as  hard  as  possible,  so 
that  the  jar  of  the  loom  will  not  let  the  sword 
slip  up. 

Shuttle-boxes. — We  can  now  find  plenty  to 
do  on  the  shuttle-boxes,  whether  they  are  new 
or  old.  If  new  ones  they  should  be  taken  out 
and  filed,  as  the  corners  and  edges  are  usually 
found  to  be  rough  and  sharp.  Do  this  job 
thoroughly,  and  do  not  be  in  too  much  of  a 
hurry,  as  you  will  never  have  a  better  chance  to 
put  the  boxes  in  proper  shape.  I  find  it  a  very 
advantageous  thing  to  file  the  sides  of  the  mouth 
of  each  box,  the  lower  half  the  most,  as  it  will  let 
the  shuttle  touch  the  top  of  the  side,  before  it 
will  the  bottom,  and  prevent  filling-cutting. 

Have  a  shuttle  handyl  to  try  in  the  box  while 
you  are  filing,  and  you  can  get  each  box  so  that 
the  side  of  the  shuttle  below  the  eye  cannot 
touch  the  lower  part  of  the  box-side  at  all,  and 
you  will  find  that  it  prevents  filling-cutting  at  that 
spot  very  effectually.  File  the  edges  of  the  long 
slot  in  the  back  of  the  box  through  which  the 
picker  slides.  File  the  sharp  edge  off  only,  and 
do  not  neglect  it,  for  the  shuttle  is  liable  to  be 
damaged  if  this  is  not  done,  and  then  it  causes 

18 


the  shuttle  to  bind  tighter  than  is  natural,  and 
the  fixer  wonders  why  he  cannot  get  spring 
enough  oft"  of  the  swell  to  let  the  shuttle  go  in 
easy.  For  the  same  reason  the  boxes  should 
be  polished  with  emery  cloth.  The  gum  and 
rust  on  the  inside  of  the  boxes  bind  the  shuttles 
too  tight,  and  everything  about  the  picking- 
motion  has  to  be  run  a  little  different  while  they 
are  in  this  condition.  After  they  are  worn 
smooth  the  fixer  has  to  go  over  them  and  tighten 
up  the  binder-springs.  Perhaps  he  has  to  bend 
the  swells  a  little  differently,  and  fuss  with  a 
new  loom  for  many  days  before  it  is  "  limbered 
up,"  as  they  term  it.  I  prefer  "  limbering"  the 
loom  up  at  the  start,  so  that  I  have  less  alter- 
ing to  do. 

Many  fixers  have  great  trouble  in  making  the 
boxes  work  on  a  new  loom,  when  the  principal 
trouble  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  rusty  or  gummy 
box  causes  the  shuttles  to  stick,  and  they  hold 
into  the  picker,  or  on  the  iron  slide  or  evener. 
This  is  a  small  matter,  and  some  may  be  disp  ised 
to  pass  over  it  lightly,  but  if  fixers  will  be  more 
careful  in  starting  a  new  shuttle-box,  and  will 
clean  it  and  polish  it  up  before  putting  it  in,  it 
will  be  found  a  very  profitable  thing  every  time. 

Fitting  the  shuttles.— Having  cleaned  and 
polished  the  box,  before  putting  it  in  the  loom 
I  would  fit  the  shuttles.  In  this  part  of  the 

19 


work  no  fixer  needs  to  be  reminded  of  the  im- 
portance of  care,  but  I  think  very  few  realize 
how  much  trouble  they  might  save  in  the  run- 
ning of  a  loom  if  they  put  all  the  skill  that  care 
and  study  would  enable  them  to  do,  when  bend- 
ing and  fitting  the  swells.  We  know  that  it  is 
a  common  occurrence  for  the  shuttle  in  one  box 
to  work  differently  from  the  rest.  If  we  have  a 
shuttle  that  lags  a  little  we  find  that  others  from 
the  same  side  have  enough  power.  A  crooked 
shuttle  is  nearly  always  thrown  from  a  certain 
box;  the  same  with  a  shuttle  that  flies  out  after 
passing  through  the  shed.  Of  course,  this  is 
not  always  the  case,  but  most  fixers  will  agree 
with  me  that  in  the  majority  of  instances  certain 
boxes  give  more  trouble  than  the  rest. 

The  reason  must  be  that  they  are  not  alike  ; 
and  of  course,  the  difference  must  be  in  the  bend- 
ing of  the  swells  or  binders.  In  bending  them, 
therefore,  I  would  use  the  utmost  care  to  have 
them  exactly  alike  in  every  way. 

The  binder  should  touch  the  shuttle  for  a 
space  of  about  5  inches,  2^  inches  on  each  side 
of  the  place  where  the  binder-spring  touches  the 
binder.  If  one  swell  touches  most,  nearer  the 
back  end  of  the  spring,  and  another  in  the  same 
box  touches  most,  nearer  the  front  end,  there  is 
a  vast  difference  in  the  pressure  that  is  brought 
to  bear  on  the  shuttles  in  those  boxes. 


My  reason  for  bending  the  swell  so  that  the 
contact  with  the  shuttles  comes  on  each  side  of 
the  point  where  the  spring  touches,  is  that  to 
put  it  nearer  the  back  end  of  the  swell,  binds  the 
shuttle  too  tight  and  does  not  allow  the  slides, 
that  even  up  the  points  of  the  shuttle,  to  push 
them  forward  easily.  If  this  is  the  case,  the  box 
is  held  up  by  the  point  of  the  shuttle  resting  on 
this  slide,  and  will  cause  the  picker  to  catch  in 
the  box.  On  the  other  hand  if  the  swell  is  bent 
so  that  the  contact  comes  on  the  front  end,  it 
does  not  hold  it  tight  enough. 

In  bending  them,  round  the  neck  of  the  swell 
so  that  the  shuttle  does  not  strike  a  corner  as  it 
enters  the  box.  Some  believe  that  is  the  best 
way,  but  most  fixers  do  not.  The  side  of  the 
shuttle  is  soon  worn  away,  unless  the  swells  are 
bent  so  that  the  shuttle  has  an  easy  entrance  in 
the  box. 

While  you  have  your  box  at  the  vise  put  all 
your  swells  in  and  try  one  shuttle  in  all  the 
boxes  and  look  through  each  box  to  see  if  you 
have  not  twisted  the  swell  in  bending  it.  If  it 
is  twisted  you  can  see  that  it  touches  on  but  one 
side,  and  consequently  you  do  not  have  more 
than  one-half  the  surface  in  contact  with  the 
shuttle  that  you  would  if  both  sides  touched. 
One  would  hardly  suspect  this,  and  for  this  rea- 
son I  like  to  bend  the  swells  where  I  can  get  at 


them  and  see  to  do  it  right.  I  like  to  take  pains 
with  them  and  when  I  am  through  with  them  I 
do  not  bend  them  every  time  I  go  nearthe  loom, 
or  allow  any  one  else  to  do  it,  either.  I  cannot 
bend  a  swell  properly  with  a  loom  weight  or  an 
old  picking-ball,  and  I  do  not  think  any  one  else 
can.  There  are  many  "special"  bends  for  various 
troubles,  and  I  have  tried  nearly  every  way,  but 
they  are  all  unnecessary.  Bend  the  swell  right, 
and  if  the  shuttle  flies  out  or  is  thrown  crooked, 
fix  the  right  thing.  You  will  have  less  trouble 
in  the  end. 

Bending  the  box-rod. — In  putting  the  box- 
in  the  lathe  there  are  a  few  points  about  bending 
the  box-rod,  not  generally  noticed.  The  back 
of  the  box  should  tip  up  about  one-sixteenth  of 
an  inch,  and  to  do  this  the  box-rod  has  to  be  bent. 
In  performing  this  operation,  the  bend  is  made 
at  the  lower  end  of  the  rod,  or  where  it  passes 
through  the  hole  in  the  picker-stick-stand. 
When  the  box  is  lifted  to  the  fourth  one,  a 
difference  of  ^  of  an  inch  may  be  found.  The 
same  thing  occurs  sometimes  when  the  rod  is 
bent  towards  or  from  you,  as  you  face  the  box. 
In  this  case  it  will  bind  the  box  when  it  is  lifted 
up,  and  I  have  known  fixers  to  file  the  shuttle- 
box-guides,  and  even  the  box,  when  the  fault 
really  lay  in  the  way  the  rod  was  bent.  The 
remedy,  therefore,  is  in  bending  the  rod  in 


such  a  manner  as  to  leave  it  perfectly  straight 
where  it  passes  through  the  stand  below,  and 
you  can  depend  upon  having  each  box  come  up, 
tipped  i-i6th  of  an  inch,  if  you  set  them  that 
way ;  if  ^th,  they  will  all  be  alike. 

Pickers  and  picker  races,— We  will  now 
put  the  boxes  in  the  loom  without  putting  the 
box  lever  connections  on,  and  turn  our  attention 
to  the  pickers  and  picker-races. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  SHUTTLE. 

SHUTTLE  TROUBLES  AND  THEIR  REMEDIES— PICKER-RACE 
AND  SHUTTLE-BOX — CAUSES  OK  DIFFICULTIES — BENDING 
THE  REKD — PUTTING  IN  THE  PICKERS  AND  PICKING- 
STICKS — THE  BUNTER — THE  PACKING  ON  THE  SPINDLE — 

THE    PROTECTOR — A    TIGHT    SPRING    ON    THE    ROD — THE 
KNOCK   OFF    LEVER — THE   SHIPPER   AND   FORK. 

On  a  new  loom  there  is  not  much  to  do  but 
to  put  the  pickers  on,  and  see  to  it  that  we  have 
a  packing  solid  enough  to  keep  the  picker  from 
going  too  far  back,  so  that  the  shuttle  will  not  I 
catch.     On  nearly  all  looms  there  is  a  chance  to  I 
improve  a  little  in  this,  so  we  will  consider  that 
we  are  working  on  an  old  loom. 

We  often    find   that   a   loom    readily  makes 
trouble  by  throwing  the  shuttle  out,  and  also  by 
throwing  a  crooked  shuttle.     It  perhaps   cuts  I 
the  filling,  and  when  we  have  a  very  heavy  warp  ; 
in,  it  will  bump  the  shuttle  against  the  top  of  the  ! 
box  and  rough  it  up  by  so  doing.      On  some  ! 
warps  we  have  no  trouble,  while  on  others  we  ] 
have  to  fix  the  loom  every  day.     We  then  blame 
the  reed  or  the  heavy  warp  for  the  trouble,  but  at 
the  same  time  we  know  that  on  other  looms  the 

24 


same  reed  and  warp  will  cause  no  trouble.  To 
get  such  a  loom  as  that  in  such  a  shape  that  we 
can  put  anything  into  it  and  not  be  afraid  of  it, 
is  a  very  desirable  thing  to  accomplish,  and  I 
think  it  can  be  done.  I  have  had  looms  that  I 
dreaded  to  be  called  to,  and  I  always  had  trouble 
if  the  warp  was  in  any  way  difficult.  By  study- 
ing out  its  peculiarities  and  having  a  "  brush  " 
with  it  when  I  had  the  time,  I  have  got  such 
looms  into  the  traces  again,  and  every  warp  would 
run  right  along.  I  usually  found  the  trouble  in 
the  way  the  shuttle-box,  in  connection  with  the 
picker-race,  was  lined.  Sometimes  the  whole 
lathe-end  would  be  found  out  of  line,  and  it  looks 
like  such  an  important  job  that  few  fixers  would 
loosen  up  the  lathe  end  to  fix  it. 

To  find  out  how  we  stand  let  us  put  a  good 
reed  in  the  lathe  and  put  a  straight  edge  on  it, 
extending  into  the  shuttle-box.  The  straight 
edge  should  be  perfectly  true  and  in  using  one 
for  this  purpose,  do  not  take  anything  for 
granted,  but  find  whether  you  are  using  a  really 
straight  edge  or  not. 

In  trying  it  in  the  box  and  against  the  reed, 
if  everything  is  all  right,  the  straight-edge  will 
be  one-sixteenth  of  an  inch  from  the  face  of  the 
reed  at  the  edge  or  side  of  it.  If  it  is  any  more 
than  that  or  any  less,  it  is  not  as  it  should  be. 

Suppose  you    find  that    the    straight    edge 

25 


touches  the  reed  and  is,  say,  one-sixteenth  or 
one-eighth  of  an  inch  from  touching  the  box  at 
the  back  end  of  it.  One  way  of  remedying  this 
is  to  loosen  the  shuttle-box-guide  and  pack  it 
so  as  to  bring  the  box  out  far  enough  to  touch 
the  straight  edge  and  throw  it  one-sixteenth  of 
an  inch  from  the  reed.  This  will  do  very  well 
so  far  as  the  box  is  concerned,  and  it  is  the  way 
this  job  is  usually  done,  but  if  you  bring  the 
box  forward  and  not  the  picker  race,  how  is  that 
going  to  keep  the  race  in  line  with  the  box  ? 
And  any  loom-fixer  should  know,  if  he  does 
not,  that  the  picker-race  should  run  in  exact 
line  with  the  box.  If  not,  the  point  of  the 
shuttle  touches  the  picker  in  one  place  when  it 
is  back  in  the  box  and  if  brought  forward  and 
the  shuttle  is  held  against  the  reed  as  it  should 
start  out,  it  will  be  found  that  it  touches  the 
picker  in  a  different  place ;  and  when  thrown  out 
quick,  the  shuttle  does  not  have  time  to  swing 
back  against  the  reed  and  consequently  goes 
through  the  shed  in  a  sideling  sort  of  a  way. 
Perhaps  it  is  thrown  outward  on  the  race,  and  in 
bounding  back  on  the  reed  is  thrown  out,  after 
passing  through  the  shed.  These  are  our  crook- 
ed shuttles  and  our  shuttles  that  fly  out  after 
passing  through  the  shed ;  the  worst  of  all  things 
to  fix.  In  order  to  avoid  them  we  must  have  the 
picker-race  parallel  with  the  box  ;  and  if  it  is  an 

26 


iron-end  lathe,  the  packing  out  of  the  shuttle-box 
guides  will  not  help  matters  much,  but  will  be 
more  likely  to  make  them  worse. 

Causes  of  difficulties.— If  the  back  of  the 
shuttle-box  is  found  to  be  farther  back  than  it 
should  be,  before  doing  anything  ascertain  first 
whether  the  race  and  box  are  parallel.  Some- 
times the  front  of  the  box  is  too  far  out,  or  per- 
haps the  front  shuttle-box-guide  is  packed  too  far 
out;  or  if  not,  the  casting  is  too  thick.  The 
front  shuttle-box-guide  is  not  apt  to  be  too  thick. 
It  should  face  out  even  with  the  inside  of  the  box 
and  usually  it  does ;  but  often  a  piece  of  paste- 
board or  leather  has  been  slipped  in  behind  it. 
But,  if  everything  is  all  right  in  regard  to  the 
front  end  of  the  box,  the  trouble  with  the  back 
end  is  in  the  whole  lathe-end  being  out  of  true. 

Now  tip  your  box  up,  so  that  the  back  of  it  is 
one-sixteenth  of  an  inch  higher  than  the  front  and 
then  see  if  the  slot  in  the  picker-race  is  right  as 
regards  being  level.  It  should  be  level  and  thus 
allow  the  box  to  be  higher  at  the  back  than  the 
slot  is.  If  not  found  correct  you  can  alter  this 
part,  while  you  have  the  lathe-end  loose  for 
bringing  it  in  line  with  the  reed. 

Having  become  satisfied  which  way  you  want 
to  throw  the  end,  loosen  up  all  the  bolts  and 
lag-screws  and  pack  with  paste-board.  It  does 
not  need  a  great  quantity,  as  you  will  find  out, 

27' 


but  put  enough  in  so  that  you  can  tighten  up 
the  bolts  very  tight  and  yet  not  throw  the  end 
out  of  line.  If,  in  looking  at  your  boxes  and 
race,  you  found  that  the  front  end  of  the  box  and 
the  face  of  the  front  guide  were  out  farther  than 
the  reed,  which  often  occurs,  it  might  be  enough 
to  put  one  thickness  of  press-paper  nearest  the 
sword  and  two  nearest  the  middle  of  the  lathe. 
That  will  serve  to  throw  the  sword  backward, 
and  the  end  of  lathe  forward,  which  will  perhaps 
bring  it  far  enough  to  make  the  back  end  of  the 
box  I— 16  of  an  inch  farther  out  than  the  reed, 
which  is  what  you  are  trying  to  get.  If  the  end 
needs  tipping  either  up  or  down,  do  it  now 
while  you  have  it  loose. 

Of  course  to  make  a  success  of  the  job  a 
great  deal  depends  upon  the  judgment  of  the 
fixer,  and  he  should  proceed  with  confidence,  re- 
membering that  there  is  a  right  way,  and  it  only 
needs  perseverance  to  get  it. 

After  fastening  the  lathe-end  securely,  try  the 
box  in  again  and  draw  the  picker  out  slowly, 
allowing  it  to  push  the  shuttle  before  it.  Hold 
the  shuttle  snug  against  the  back  of  the  box  and 
against  the  reed,  and  see  if  the  point  of  the 
shuttle  keeps  in  one  place  on  the  picker.  If  the 
lining  of  the  lathe-end  has  been  accurately  done, 
and  the  box  and  race  are  parallel,  the  point  of 
the  shuttle  will  touch  in  the  same  place  whether 

28 


the  picker  be  back,  or  forward,  to  the  end  of  the 
stroke ;  and  if  you  have  got  this  result  the  loom 
will  throw  the  shuttle  straight;  it  cannot  help  it. 

Other  causes  of  trouble. — Of  course  there 
are  other  things  that  can  make  the  shuttle  work 
badly  ;  but  usually  they  are  very  simple  things, 
and  many  fixers  do  some  big  overhauling  to 
make  a  loom  throw  the  shuttle  straight,  when 
some  such  thing  as  a  bent  reed  is  causing  all  the 
trouble. 

Bending  the  reed. — Right  here  I  would  call 
attention  to  the  practice  of  bending  the  reed 
back  with  the  hammer  when  it  faces  out  too  far 
for  the  back  of  the  shuttle  box.  I  have  just 
shown  how  the  reed,  box  guide  and  shuttle  box 
can  be  brought  in  line  with  each  other,  and  I 
think  it  is  a  great  mistake  to  spoil  all  the  reeds 
in  the  weave-room  on  a  few  looms  that  are 
simply  in  need  of  proper  adjustment.  The  trou- 
ble caused  by  this  pernicious  practice  is  incal- 
culable. I  do  not  think  these  things  would  be 
so  frequently  neglected,  if  loom-fixers  fully  ap- 
preciated the  importance  of  them. 

Putting  in  the  pickers.— While   we   are 

working  at  the  picker- race  we  will  put  the  pick- 
ers in.  They  do  not  need  to  be  gouged  out  to 
fit  the  point  of  the  shuttle.  That  practice  is 
sometimes  convenient  to  resort  to  if  the  loom  is 

29 


not  in  good  order  and  we  wish  to  make  the 
shuttle  follow  the  old  rut ;  but  at  best  it  is  only 
a  makeshift.  If  the  box  and  race  are  parallel, 
the  point  of  the  shuttle  will  do  all  the  gouging 
necessary,  and  in  the  right  place,  too. 

Packing  behind  the  picker, — The  packing 
behind  the  picker,  like  lots  of  other  things  about 
the  loom,  can  make  plenty  of  trouble  if  not 
properly  made.  Bent  box-rods,  broken  shelves 
in  the  boxes,  broken  box  levers,  broken  pick- 
ing sticks,  bent  picking-bars,  besides  the  smashes 
resulting  from  this  general  upsetting — are 
among  the  troubles  caused  by  defective  packing 
behind  the  picker. 

I  used  to  have  an  idea  that  to  make  a  soft 
packing  would  help  filling-knocking-off;  but  I 
find  that  it  only  takes  a  few  picks  to  drive  the 
packing  back  so  that  it  amounts  to  nothing  as  a 
cushion.  I  now  make  a  ball  out  of  cloth  and 
yarn,  solid  enough  to  last,  and  between  this  ball 
and  the  picker  I  put  a  piece  of  good  leather,  put- 
ting it  so  that  it  has  a  projection  on  one  side 
to  fit  in  the  picker-slot,  and  thus  be  kept  in 
place. 

If  any  one  imagines  that  to  make  a  packing 
too  solid  causes  the  shuttle  to  bound,  I  would 
assure  him  that  it  would  be  working  at  the  wrong 
thing  to  attempt  to  prevent  shuttle-bounding  by 
using  a  soft  packing.  It  has  to  be  hard  enough 

30 


to  last ;  and  if  the  shuttle  bounds,  fix  that  with 
the  swell. 

Putting  in  picking-sticks.— The  picking- 
sticks  can  now  be  put  on.  Much  could  be  said 
of  the  quality  of  the  picking-sticks  we  usually 
get.  The  best  are  made  of  sound  second-growth 
hickory.  That  we  cannot  always  get  them  we 
know  very  well;  but  an  overseer  cannot  do  a 
much  better  thing  for  the  general  good  of  the 
weave-room  than  to  see  to  it  that  a  first  class 
article  is  provided. 

Before  putting  them  on,  a  rivet  or  bolt  should 
always  be  put  in  near  the  hole  for  the  stud,  and 
one  just  below  where  the  stick  strikes  the  bunter. 
The  hole  for  the  stud  should  be  bored  squarely 
through  the  stick.  Some  one  might  say  that  any 
one  would  know  that ;  but  /  know  that  there  are 
many  who  do  not  use  proper  care  in  boring  the 
holes  in  the  stick,  and  consequently  the  stick  is 
twisted  when  put  in.  If,  then,  it  binds  between 
the  race  and  the  spindle,  a  jack  knife  is  brought 
into  play,  and  a  not  very  scientific  slice  is  gouged 
out  of  it.  Now  a  stick  cannot  last  if  it  is  not 
properly  treated,  any  more  than  anything  else  on 
a  machine ;  and  if  fixers  would  use  the  care  in 
working  with  such  things  that  a  good  carpenter 
would,  they  would  have  more  time  to  think  over 
their  work,  and  keep  the  looms  running  at  the 
same  time. 

3' 


The  bits  employed  are  usually  so  dull  that  they 
are  not  fit  for  boring  wood  as  hard  as  hickory  is. 
In  crowding  a  dull  bit  into  the  picking-stick  at 
the  top  there  is  danger  of  splitting  the  stick ;  it 
may  be  very  slightly,  but  when  it  is  put  on  the 
loom  the  screw  gives  trouble  by  coming  out,  and 
in  trying  to  put  a  larger  one  in  the  stick  is  ruined, 
Thus  a  new  stick  is  spoiled  where  it  may  have 
lasted  for  months.  The  cost  is  not  much,  of 
course ;  but  the  demoralizing  effect  of  a  fixer 
having  to  keep  on  a  run  to  fix  these  simple  things 
amounts  to  something  in  the  aggregate,  and 
should  be  prevented.  Use  good  bits,  and  take 
care  of  them  as  a  carpenter  would.  They  art- 
just  as  precious  to  a  loom-fixer  as  they  are  to  any 
one  else. 

The  hunter.— Having  put  the  picking-stick 
on,  with  the  previously  made  sweep  connections 
fastened  to  it,  try  your  bunter.  The  bunter  for 
the  stick  should  be  thick  enough  to  hold  it  off 
the  picker.  Be  sure  of  this,  as  this  business  of 
putting  on  new  pickers  and  sticks  amounts  to  a 
great  deal  in  a  fixer's  work,  and  if  the  picking- 
stick  is  stopped. by  the  picker,  neither  of  them 
can  last  long. 

There  are  few  things  about  a  loom  that  are  so 
sadly  neglected  as  the  bunter.  It  is  too  in- 
significant, in  the  minds  of  most  loom-fixers,  but 
this  is  a  mistaken  idea.  The  bunter  should  be 

32 


made  out  of  something  that  will  last.  I  have 
tried  rubber,  and  like  it,  but  it  does  not  last  long 
enough.  I  think  good  leather  put  in  tight,  with 
the  edges  cut  true,  so  that  you  can  drive  it  in 
solid,  is  the  best  thing  you  can  use. 

The  packing  on  the  spindle. — The  packing 
on  the  spindle  is  mostly  a  piece  of  picker.  It 
does  very  well,  but  I  think  it  is  too  hard  to  use 
for  that  purpose.  A  few  pieces  of  good,  hard 
leather  answer  the  purpose  better,  as  they  do  not 
batter  the  picker. 

The  protector. — Before  leaving  the  lathe,  let 
us  look  at  the  protector.  It  is  often  found  bent 
at  the  ends.  If  it  is  bent,  take  it  out  and  straighten 
it.  The  rod  cannot  have  that  easy  swing  that  it 
should  have,  if  it  is  not  straight.  Often  the  ends 
where  the  set-screw  of  the  protector-finger  fast- 
ens, are  so  cut  up  with  the  screw  that  we  cannot 
set  the  finger  where  we  want  it.  If  very  bad, 
they  should  be  either  upset,  so  that  the  holes  can 
be  obliterated,  or  a  new  piece  welded  on. 

Have  the  daggers  dressed,  being  careful  not  to 
get  them  too  sharp.  To  get  them  the  right 
length  it  is  necessary  to  try  them  in  the  loom. 
The  one  on  the  dead  side  should  be  long  enough 
to  hold  the  other  from  binding  the  knock-off- 
lever  tight.  They  should  also  be  made  to  fit  into 
the  grooves  of  the  knock-off-lever  and  the  bunter. 
Often  they  do  not,  and  the  r?su-lt  is  that  looms 


will  make  smashes  which,  when  tried,  seem  to 
protect  perfectly.  If  the  dagger  on  the  lever  side 
fits  into  the  groove  of  the  lever,  and  the  one  on 
the  opposite  side  is  a  little  high,  when  the  loom  is 
running  the  dagger  on  the  dead  side  will  strike 
the  upper  side  of  the  groove  in  the  hunter  and 
glance  with  such  force  as  to  throw  both  of  them 
clear  of  the  grooves  and  thus  fail  to  protect.  If 
they  strike  perfectly  even,  nothing  will  be  likely 
to  bend  them,  and  you  can  depend  on  them. 

When  you  put  the  protector  in,  put  the  fingers 
on,  and  before  fastening  very  tight,  adjust  the 
daggers  to  fit  the  grooves.  Then  make  the 
fingers  as  fast  as  the  set-screw  will  allow.  In 
tightening  the  spring  on  the  rod,  be  careful  not 
to  put  too  much  spring  on.  This  is  a  very  com- 
mon error.  If  the  rod  is  straight,  and  works  free, 
it  does  not  require  much  spring  to  keep  the 
fingers  back  on  the  swell  when  it  is  needed.  The 
rod  should  have  an  easy  swing,  which  will  allow 
the  shuttle,  in  entering  the  box,  to  throw  the 
protector  so  as  to  clear  the  grooves  in  the  lever 
and  bunter. 

Objections  to  a  tight  spring  on  the  rod.— 
I  have  seen  looms  running  under  fixers  who 
believed  in  running  the  loom  with  a  tight  spring 
on  the  rod,  and  have  closely  watched  the  effect 
for  many  months,  and  I  found  it  anything  but 
desirable.  In  order  to  prevent  the  loom  knock- 

34 


ing  off,  the  shuttle  had  to  come  in  the  boxes  with 
terrible  force,  and  even  that  did  not  keep  the  pro- 
tectors from  catching  occasionally. 

The  evils  resulting  from  such  a  condition  would 
take  up  a  good  many  pages  of  this  book,  if  fully 
described.  The  one  fact  of  having  to  increase 
the  power,  if  followed  up,  shows  that  the  binders 
have  to  be  tighter  than  is  natural.  The  shuttle 
must  have  greater  force  to  start  it  out  of  the  boxes, 
and  that  takes  another  large  share  of  this  bor- 
rowed power.  The  loom  requires  a  much  tighter 
belt,  making  it  a  very  serious  thing  for  the  weav- 
er— more  important  on  a  loom  than  on  anything 
else  that  can  be  named- -on  account  of  the  frequency 
of  the  starting  and  stopping  of  it.  Then  there  is 
the  increased  strain  on  the  picking-motion,  caus- 
ing unnecessary  wear  on  those  parts ;  and,  worst 
of  all,  when  the  loom  does  knock  off,  the  immense 
power  exerted  by  the  over-tight  belt  causes 
broken  gears,  broken  crank-shafts  and  loose 
boxes,  besides  a  general  racking  of  the  loom  in 
all  its  parts.  Try  running  the  spring  loose,  and 
you  will  find  it  gives  better  results.  I  have  dwelt 
on  this,  because  I  know  of  so  many  cases  where 
the  springs  are  run  too  tight,  with  the  results 
named. 

The  knock-off  lever. — While  working  on  the 
protector  see  that  the  knock-off-lever  is  not  bound 
when  the  loom  protects.  It  should  go  far  enough 

35 


to  knock  the  handle  off,  and  then  the  dead  side 
should  hold  the  loom,  so  that  the  long  shipper 
rod  may  be  free  to  stop  the  loom. 

The  shipper, — The  shipper  should  always 
work  easy.  On  a  loom  that  starts  and  stops 
easily  a  weaver  can  accomplish  twenty  per  cent, 
more  than  he  can  otherwise ;  not  simply  because 
it  takes  longer  to  start  the  loom,  but  in  acquiring 
an  easy,  comfortable  motion,  and  being  able  to 
use  the  hand  for  something  else  when  changing 
the  shuttle  ;  and  where  girls  run  the  looms  the 
fatigue  caused  by  working  on  a  heavy  shipping 
loom  discourages  them  not  a  little. 

The  shipper-fork. — The  shipper-fork,  if  prop- 
erly adjusted,  helps  in  this  matter  more  than  any 
thing  else.  If  any  of  the  parts  bind,  the  fixer 
can  easily  detect  and  fix  them  ;  but  fixers  do  not 
always  think  of  the  belt.  If  the  shipper-fork  is 
set  close  to  the  pulley,  the  belt  does  not  have  time 
to  follow  the  motion  of  the  fork.  Consequently 
the  fork  pulls  on  the  belt,  as  it  would  if  the  shaft- 
ing were  not  running.  It  pulls  in  a  small  degree, 
but  enough  to  cause  a  resistance,  which  makes  it 
hard  to  ship.  The  fork  should  be  set  four  or  five 
inches  from  the  point  where  the  belt  runs  on  the 
pulley,  and  should  be  nearly  at  right  angles  with 
the  edge  of  the  belt  to  prevent  turning. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

HEAD-MOTIONS. 

THE  PUMP  MOTION — METHOD  OF  FIXING  IT — SETTING  THE 
STANDS  AND  CHA1N-CYLINDER-CRANK — HARNESS-WIRE  AND 
STRAP  CONNECTIONS — THE  FINGER-JACK  LOOM — SETTING 
UP  THE  HEAD — HOOKS  AND  FINGERS  — STICKING  OF  THE 
SLIDE — THE  SHED— CAUSE  OF  MISPICKS — THE  HORIZON- 
TAL MOTION — MODERN  IMPROVED  HEAD-MOTIONS. 

The  pump-motion. — There  are  many  kinds 
of  head-motions,  and  in  speaking  on  this  subject 
I  shall  aim  to  take  up  those  that  are  in  general 
use.  The  oldest  popular  one  is  the  pump-motion. 
It  is  a  hard  motion  when  a  great  number  of  har- 
ness is  used,  but  for  12  or  16  harness,  or  less,  it 
runs  very  nicely  if  it  be  properly  adjusted.  The 
great  trouble  with  this  head-motion  is  that  it  has 
so  many  joints  and  connections,  and  these,  when 
worn,  cause  a  great  deal  of  lost  motion  and  give 
that  jerking  motion  to  the  harness  which  is  so 
hard  on  the  warp  and  on  the  numerous  connec- 
tions of  the  harness  motion  as  well.  To  get  good 
results  from  the  pump-motion,  the  studs  and  con- 
nections, if  badly  worn,  as  some  of  them  are, 
should  be  replaced  by  new  ones.  It  is  poor 
economy,  in  my  opinion,  considering  the  small 
cost  of  repairing,  to  run  this  head-motion  with 

37 


the  parts  so  badly  worn  that  the  crank-stud  gets 
*/£  of  the  way  around  before  it  begins  to  open  the 
shed ;  therefore,  if  possible,  if  you  have  a  head- 
motion  worn  out,  fix  it  up  in  good  shape. 

Fixing  the  head-motion. — I  remember  very 
well  the  mystery  that  loom-fixers  used  to  attach 
to  the  work  on  the  head-motion,  and  I  think  it 
was  two  or  three  years  before  I  dared  to  take  one 
apart.  I  know  now  that  the  best  way  to  get  an 
understanding  of  it  is  to  pitch  into  it  and  have  it 
out  at  first.  If  you  have  every  part  of  it  loose, 
and  you  are  ready  to  begin  to  set  it,  I  know  of 
no  better  way  than  first  to  set  the  stud  or  bolt  in 
the  crank-plate,  about  where  you  think  you  will 
want  it ;  then  set  the  evener  on  the  outside  rod, 
about  y±  of  an  inch  from  the  top  of  it,  the  reason 
for  this  being  that  you  may  want  a  little  room  to 
move  it.  Screw  it  fast,  being  careful  to  keep  it  at 
right  angles  with  the  loom-frame.  Then  put  in 
the  brace-rod  on  the  opposite  side  and  divide  the 
space  where  the  thread  is  cut  on  it,  so  that  you 
have  room  to  move  that,  if  necessary.  Then  put 
in  a  T.-jack  with  side  jack  on  it.  Now  you  can 
connect  the  knife-casting  on  the  brace-rod;  but 
before  fastening  the  nuts  slide  it  up  on  the  pump- 
rod  and  screw  fast.  This  will  allow  the  casting 
to  swing  into  a  natural  position.  Then  fasten  up 
the  nuts  on  the  brace-rod.  Having  done  this, 
draw  the  pump-rod  down  so  that  the  T-jack  is 

38 


perfectly  level.  Then  fasten  the  pump-rod.  In 
fastening  this  pump-rod,  bear  in  mind  that  its 
work  is  to  pull  down,  so  that  the  casting  con- 
nected Avith  the  arm  should  be  lifted  or  driven 
as  high  as  it  will  go  to  take  up  the  play  that 
may  be  in  the  studs  and  connections.  When 
fastened  after  doing  this  it  holds  the  evener 
where  you  want  it. 

Next,  set  the  lower  evener  on  its  rod  as  you 
did  the  first  one,  and  set  the  lower  knife-casting 
with  knife  already  attached,  while  the  evener  is 
held  up  to  the  jacks. 

When  you  have  fastened  this  rod,  the  eveners 
should  be  [closed]  on  the  jacks,  not  tight  enough 
to  bind  them,  but  tight  enough  to  take  up  the 
play  that  may  be  between  the  jacks  and  eveners. 

Setting  the  knives.— Set  the  knives  so  that 
the  outside  or  back-jack-hook  comes  within  3- 1 6th 
of  an  inch  of  the  knife  and  the  front-jack  within 
^i  of  an  inch.  Many  fixers  allow  much  more 
room  than  that,  but  it  is  unnecessary  and 
is  an  injury  to  the  easy  working  of  the  head 
The  first  movement  of  the  head-motion  is  the. 
slowest  and  the  sooner  the  knives  take  hold  of 
the  jacks  the  easier  will  be  the  movement  of  them. 

Setting  the  Stands.— In  setting  the  stands 
that  hold  the  T-jacks  be  governed  entirely  by 
the  side-jack.  It  should  be  in  a  perfectly  per- 
pendicular position,  and  the  top  of  it  evenly 

39 


divided  between  the  two  eveners.  Be  sure  of 
this.  The  object  of  setting  the  T-jacks  so  that 
they  stand  level  when  the  shed  is  closed,  may 
now  be  seen.  The  ends  of  the  jack,  describe 
part  of  a  circle  and,  of  course,  are  holding  the 
side-jack  nearer  to  the  chain  when  they  are 
level  than  when  open  in  either  direction;  so 
that,  if  they  do  not  stc*nd  level,  the  jack  is  with- 
drawn from  the  chain  too  far  on  one  stroke  and 
pressed  too  hard  on  it  on  the  opposite  stroke, 
making  the  head  very  liable  to  make  mispicks 
by  slipping  the  jacks  off  the  knives,  or  in  bind- 
ing the  jack  on  the  evener.  For  the  same  rea- 
son the  side-jack  should  be  perpendicular.  If 
the  T-jacks  are  set  too  far  forward,  they  cause 
the  side  jacks  to  stand  in  a  slanting  position, 
with  the  top  nearest  the  chain.  \\  hen  the  jack 
goes  down  to  raise  the  harness  it  crowds  against 
the  chain,  and  in  going  up  the  jack  is  withdrawn 
from  the  chain.  The  philosophy  of  this  can 
easily  be  seen,  but  it  is  not  always  heeded. 
Nothing  will  so  cause  the  breakage  of  jacks  as 
neglect  of  this;  and  if  the  jack  is  crowded 
against  the  ball,  the  chain  may  be  slipped  on  the 
cylinder,  or  even  turned  one  pick  too  many. 

Look  into  this  when  you  are  troubled  with 
mispicks  and  you  will  readily  discover  the 
cause  of  the  mischief. 

Setting  the  chain  cylinder  crank,— In  set- 


ting  the  chain  cylinder  crank  you  find  a  chance 
for  experiment.  The  object  is  to  turn  the  chain 
as  late  as  possible  to  avoid  wearing  the  knife  and 
the  edges  of  the  jacks,  and  yet  to  get  the  cylinder 
turned  in  time  for  the  next  pick.  This  can  easily 
be  done,  though  not  so  easily  described  ;  but  do 
not  set  the  crank  so  that  the  cylinder  begins  to 
turn  when  the  lathe  is  back.  The  effect  is  to 
cause  the  jacks  to  begin  to  change  before  they 
are  clear  of  the  knife  and  sometimes  they  will  be 
worn  out  in  a  single  week.  The  loom  is  also 
very  inconvenient  for  the  weaver,  as,  in  stopping 
the  loom,  should  the  lathe  come  forward  in  the 
least,  and  is  then  pushed  back,  a  mispick  is  the 
result.  They  are  bad  enough  in  this  respect  at 
best.  Do  not  let  the  hook  fol'ow  the  chain  cyl- 
inder too  far.  It  is  apt  to  turn  two  notches  in 
the  check-wheel.  If  it  goes  far  enough  to  start 
the  roll  down  into  the  check-wheel  it  is  far 
enough.  Many  looms  are  run  with  two,  and 
sometimes  three,  springs  on  the  check  lever. 
The  loom  was  made  with  one  and  one  is  enough, 
These  unsightly  and  unscientific  encumbrances 
should  be  avoided.  It  makes  it  hard,  and  very 
disagreeable  for  the  weaver,  who  has  to  turn 
the  chain  so  frequently,  to  have  to  exert  so  much 
muscle  in  finding  the  pick.  If  the  hook  does 
not  pull  too  far,  and  if  the  jacks  work  free'y  so 
as  not  to  bind  the  chain,  it  will  not  turn. 


Harness  wire  and  strap  connections.— 

There  are  many  ways  of  making  the  harness 
wire  and  strap  connections  on  pump  motion 
looms.  Some  use  wire  from  the  .side-jack  to  the 
long  bottom-jack.  I  prefer  a  harness  strap,  and 
I  think  every  one  would  if  it  were  given  a  trial. 
The  wire  makes  a  hard  and  unyielding  connec- 
tion and  I  consider  it  especially  hard  on  the 
harness.  The  best  connection  is  to  use  a  short 
piece  of  wire  to  connect  the  bottom  end  of  the 
strap  to  the  stirrup  on  the  bottom-jack.  One 
end  of  the  wire  should  be  made  with  a  long  hook 
to  go  through  the  stirrup,  and  the  other  end 
should  have  a  short,  nicely  made  hook  to  go  in 
the  strap. 

Then,  for  the  top  end  of  the  strap,  have  a  hook 
to  go  through  the  leather ;  and  then  when  you 
have  the  loom  in  position  so  you  can  tell  where 
to  set  the  bottom  (or  underneath)  jack,  you  can 
bend  the  end  of  the  wire  so  that  it  will  go 
through  the  hole  in  the  side-jack.  To  vary  the 
length  of  the  connection,  you  can  use  the  holes 
in  the  strap.  What  better  arrangement  could 
you  have  for  changing  jacks?  You  can  unhook 
your  straps  and  lay  them  in  a  common  pile  as 
they  will  fit  on  any  loom.  Round  the  corners 
off  on  the  top-end  of  the  straps,  so  that  they 
will  not  catch  one  another  in  changing  the  pick. 
Underneath,  the  wires  on  the  harness  should 

42 


be  the  same  as  on  the  bow-jack  loom  and  the 
harness-hooks  the  same  distance  apart,  so  that 
the  harness  can  go  anywhere.  The  strap  should 
be  a  flat  one,  with  a  neat  wire-hook — not  a 
buckle — to  fasten  with.  You  can  draw  each 
harness  connection  to  the  same  tension  easier 
than  by  any  other  way.  The  top  straps  are  the 
same  as  the  bottom  ones. 

The  finger-jack  loom.— The  finger-jack,  up- 
right-lever loom  was,  I  believe,  the  next  thing 
to  the  pump-motion  head.  There  are  plenty  of 
them  in  use  to-day,  but  they  have  long  since 
ceased  to  be  made.  These  looms  give  trouble 
by  making  raispicks  ;  but  the  head-motion  is 
very  easy  and  if  kept  in  good  order  will  run 
very  well.  The  principal  causes  of  mispicksare 
very  simple,  too  simple  to  be  thought  of  some- 
times. Of  course,  the  many  points  about  the 
head-motion  make  it  too  easily  gummed  up  and 
clogged  with  dirt;  or,  the  parts  rubbing  against 
each  other  may  stick  and  not  permit  the  fingers 
to  fall  in  their  places.  My  experience  with 
them  teaches  that  if  these  looms  give  trouble 
look  for  little  things  as  the  cause. 

Setting  up  the  head. — In  setting  up  the 
head  little  difficulty  is  experienced,  as  the  parts 
each  have  a  place  and  cannot  very  well  be  mis- 
placed. The  same  may  be  said  of  the  slots  for 
the  studs  and  rolls ;  they  cannot  very  well  be 

43 


set  wrong.  The  rolls  should  bring  the  knives 
together  so  as  to  close  in  on  the  jacks  evenly, 
both  back  and  front  alike.  When  the  arm, 
which  connects  the  rocker  arm  with  the  crank 
plate,  is  in  place,  and  the  stud  on  the  plate  is  on 
top,  the  knives  should  be  closed  snugly  against 
the  jacks,  but  not  tight  enough  to  bind  them. 
Do  not  be  too  sure  you  are  right,  but  try  them 
both  back  and  front,  to  see  if  either  side  binds. 
The  jack  hooks  when  at  rest,  and  the  shed  closed, 
should  not  touch  the  underside  of  the  knife. 
That  part  of  the  hook  that  slips  through  the 
fingers  can  become  bent  and  allow  the  hooks  to 
get  in  various  positions. 

Hooks  and  fingers. — In  running  this  head  it 
is  important  to  avoid  letting  the  hooks  or  fing- 
ers touch  anything  that  moves,  at  a  time  when 
they  should  be  at  rest.  The  sides  of  the  head  of 
the  fingers  get  worn  perfectly  smooth  and  flat. 
When  hugged  together,  this  smooth  surface, 
which  would  lead  anyone  to  suppose  to  be  just 
the  thing  to  slip  freely,  often  has  the  opposite  ef- 
fect. The  oil  becoming  gummy,  causes  the  two 
heads  to  stick  together,  a  kind  of  suction.  If  the 
fingers  are  wiped  and  fresh  oil  put  on,  it  will  stop 
it ;  but  to  make  sure  that  they  do  not  stick  and 
make  an  occasional  mispick,  I  take  them  out  and 
grind  the  sides  of  the  heads  slightly  rounding, 
This  prevents  them  very  effectually  from  sticking. 

44 


The  part  of  the  hook  that  slides  through  the 
fingers  should  be  carefully  bent  if  it  does  not 
bring  the  hook  in  the  right  place  on  the  knife. 
All  of  the  hooks  should  stand  alike  when  tried 
with  the  chain  off.  The  same  with  the  part  of 
the  finger  that  touches  the  rolls  or  balls.  If  the 
underside  of  the  finger  is  warn  flat  and  is  nearly 
as  wide  as  the  balls  on  the  chain,  file  the  sides 
so  that  they  have  no  corners  on,  and  when  the 
balls  on  the  chain  move  sideways  on  account  of 
being  worn,  there  is  less  liability  of  them  catch- 
ing the  wrong  finger. 

Sticking  of  the  slide. — Sometimes  when  the 
shed  opens  pretty  wide  the  slide  of  the  hook 
sticks  or  cramps  in  the  hole  in  the  finger.  This 
can  be  prevented  by  trying  each  jack.  Take 
the  front  knife  off  and  with  the  lathe  back,  pull 
each  knife  up  as  far  as  it  will  go  and  then  feel 
the  finger  to  see  if  it  sticks.  It  is  a  good  idea  to 
file  the  inside  of  the  finger-head  always  before 
they  are  put  on  as  there  is  no  yielding  when  one 
of  them  catches;  something  has  got  to  bend  or 
break. 

The  shed. — I  always  avoid  making  the  shed 
larger  on  these  looms,  by  giving  more  sweep  to 
the  head-motion.  I  keep  sweep  enough  on  it 
for  20  or  24  harnesses  and  run  the  straps  as  low 
as  possible.  The  chain  should  be  set  so  as  not 
to  turn  too  soon.  If  it  does,  it  catches  the  hooks 

45 


on  the  edges  of  the  knives  as  on  the  pump-mo- 
tion, and  is  also  liable  to  turn  or  slip  the  chain 
on  the  cylinder. 

The  bow-jacks. — This  head  with  slight  al- 
terations is  fitted  with  bow-jacks  and  makes  a 
most  excellent  motion.  It  is  a  very  safe  motion 
on  difficult  work,  being  less  liable  to  make  mis- 
picks  than  the  finger-jacks.  If  it  does  make 
mispicks,  they  can  usually  be  attributed  to  the 
action  of  the  chain,  which,  if  not  made  to  work 
smooth  and  easy,  will  give  the  fingers  a  jar  just 
as  the  knives  begin  to  open,  and  then  one  of  the 
wrong  fingers  is  liable  to  hook  on  the  knives. 

A  cause  of  mispicks. — There  is  one  cause 
for  mispicks  on  these  looms  that  is  very  obscure 
and  I  doubt  if  it  is  generally  known.  I  have 
seen  fixers  work  for  days  on  a  bow-jack  loom 
which  would  make  a  mispick  two  or  three 
times  a  day.  Nothing  can  be  more  annoying 
than  this,  as  if  the  loom  made  a  mispick  every 
five  minutes  one  might  detect  it. 

An  example.— I  was  troubled  with  a  loom 
doing  this  and  I  tried  for  two  weeks  to  find  the 
came.  I  could,  perhaps,  have  moved  things 
until  I  hit  it,  but  I  w  is  desirous  of  learning  why 
it  was  that  one  of  these  heads,  which  seemed  in 
perfect  order,  would  make  a  mispick  occasion- 
ally ;  so  I  altered  nothing  until  I  found  some 
clew.  The  fingers  would  shake  when  the  head 

46 


closed,  but  the  jacks  seemed  all  free  and  I 
thought  I  had  tried  them  all. 

After  being  bothered  with  it  until  I  felt  like 
giving  it  up,  I  discovered  that  one  of  the  jacks 
was  a  trifle  wider  than  the  rest,  and  the  knives, 
in  coming  together,  would  strike  it,  and  the  jar 
gave  them  all  an  almost  imperceptible  bound. 
I  filed  the  jack  and  made  them  all  even  while  I 
was  at  it,  and  I  never  experienced  trouble 
again. 

Try  each  jack.— I  always  tried  each  jack 
when  I  put  them  in  and  made  them  of  equal 
width  and  made  sure  that  none  of  them  were 
squeezed  by  the  knives,  and  the  result  was  that 
I  rarely  ever  had  one  of  these  looms  make  a 
mispick  unless  something  else  was  out  of  order 
which  could  be  easily  detected.  The  same  thing 
applies  to  the  1880  and  1883  Crompton  loom, 
and  I  know  of  large  weave  rooms  using  the  1880 
loom  in  which  this  idea  was  tried  and  found 
very  satisfactory.  It  is  a  very  natural  thing  for 
the  fingers  to  jar  if  the  knives  bump  together  on 
the  jacks,  but  I  know  that  many  do  not  think  of 
it.  As  with  many  other  simple  things,  it  is  harder 
to  attract  the  attention  of  fixers  to  little  things 
like  these  than  it  is  to  tell  them  of  some  big  job, 
and  yet  these  are  equally  important. 

The  horizontal  motion. — The  horizontal 
motion  is  one  that  does  not  meet  with  favor 

47 


among  fixers.  Where  it  is  used  on  more  than 
12  or  1 6  harness  it  is  hard  on  account  of  the 
manner  of  evening  up  the  jacks.  The  eveners 
have  to  draw  all  of  the  jacks  up,  which  makes 
the  top  and  bottom  connections  pull  against  each 
other.  This  unnatural  movement  causes  a  great 
strain  on  the  straps,  as  well  as  on  the  head-mo- 
tion, and  on  heavy  work  a  large  number  of  break- 
ages occur.  To  make  matters  worse,  there  are 
five  straps  for  each  harness ;  and  being  strained 
at  every  pick  they  soon  break,  and  will  keep  one 
man  busy  on  an  ordinary  section  fixing  harness 
straps.  The  head  is  easy  to  regulate,  and  there 
is  plenty  of  room  to  make  the  shed  as  large  or  as 
small  as  you  wish ;  but  the  most  profitable  thing 
for  the  fixer  to  do  is  to  turn  his  attention  to  reduc- 
ing the  strain  on  the  harness  connections  to  a  min- 
imum. If  the  straps  give  trouble  by  jumping  out 
of  the  sheaves  or  pulleys,  the  only  remedy  is  to 
fit  blocks  of  wood  over  them.  This  is  not  a 
scientific  way  of  doing  things,  but  you  have  the 
satisfaction  of  knowing  that  principle  which 
causes  your  straps  to  be  strained  at  one  part  of 
the  operation  and  to  be  very  loose  at  another  is 
impracticable  ;  so  you  are  justified  in  using  means 
which  give  the  best  results. 

These  looms  will  give  very  little  trouble  if  the 
work  is  not  heavy  and  the  number  of  harness  small. 

Another  head-motion.— The  1880  head  on 


the  Crompton  loom  is  one  that  gives  general 
satisfaction  to  all.  Of  course  some  persons  can 
find  things  about  it  that  don't  suit  them,  but  there 
are  many  who  are  thankful  that  most  of  the 
perplexities  incident  to  the  old  style  head-motion 
are  removed,  especially  when  so  much  more  care 
is  required  in  the  production  of  woolen  goods. 
The  action  of  the  head  is  practically  the  same  as 
in  the  old  style  bow-jack  looms ;  but  it  is  obtained 
in  a  different  way,  which  is  so  simple  as  to  need 
no  explanation  to  those  interested. 

Binding  of  the  jacks. — The  remarks  re- 
garding the  binding  of  the  jacks  on  this  loom 
may  be  called  to  mind.  The  time  of  turning  the 
chain-cylinder  should  be  carefully  attended  to. 
The  edges  of  the  jack-hooks  will  be  worn  off  in 
a  few  hours  if  they  are  suffered  to  bear  on  the 
edges  of  the  knife  in  changing.  Should  they  be- 
come worn  through  oversight,  it  is  better  to  take 
them  out  of  the  loom  at  once  and  file  them  into 
proper  shape.  They  should  be  filed  with  a  three- 
cornered  file  to  get  the  proper  bevel  on  the  hook. 
Be  careful  to  make  them  all  even.  Grind  or  file 
the  knife  to  proper  shape  also. 

The  chain-cylinder. — The  chain-cylinder 
should  turn  towards  the  loom.  I  have  seen  fix- 
ers turn  it  from  the  loom  rather  than  take  the 
chain  off  and  turn  it  to  make  the  twill  run  right. 
When  the  chain  is  in  place  the  bar  does  not  stand 

49 


on  the  cylinder  as  on  the  old  bow-jack  loom,  but 
is  a  little  past  the  centre  on  the  side  farthest  from 
the  loom.  The  jack-fingers  are  curved  slightly 
to  suit  this  condition.  Now,  if  the  cylinder  turns 
from  the  loom,  the  ball  on  the  chain  lifts  the  jack- 
finger  slowly,  and  is  too  long  in  getting  it  into  its 
place,  so  that  we  have  to  set  the  time  of  turning 
or  starting  too  soon  for  the  knives  to  get  out  of 
the  way  of  the  hooks  on  the  fingers. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  we  turn  the  chain  towards 
the  loom,  the  ball  does  not  come  under  the  finger 
until  nearly  in  its  place,  and  when  it  does  touch 
the  finger,  it  lifts  it  quickly.  Consequently  we 
can  so  time  the  turning  of  the  chain  that  the 
knives  have  ample  time  to  get  clear  of  the  hooks 
before  the  finger  begins  to  rise.  There  is  another 
reason  for  turning  towards  the  loom,  of  which 
mention  will  be  made  in  connection  with  the  fill- 
ing-chain farther  on. 

Special  head-motions.— The  Knowles  head- 
motion  and  the  Crompton  box-motion  are  the 
same  movement  in- principle.  The  cylinder  gears 
turn  the  vibrator  gears  when  the  latter  are 
brought  in  contact  with  them,  and,  like  the 
Crompton  box-motion,  a  vibrator  gear,  once 
turned,  remains  in  that  position  until  it  is  geared 
into  the  opposite  cylinder  gear,  hence  the  open 
shed.  It  may  not  be  proper  to  say  that  the 
Knowles  is  like  that  of  the  Crompton  box-  mo- 

50 


tion,  but  instead,  to  reverse  the  expression,  be- 
cause the  credit  of  bringing  that  excellent  idea 
out  belongs  to  the  Knowles.  The  whole  mechan- 
ism of  the  Knowles  head-motion,  for  beauty  of 
action,  and  thorough  construction  is  not  excelled. 
Of  course  there  are  different  opinions  in  regard 
to  the  open-shed  principle,  but  the  popularity  of 
the  Knowles  loom  is  strong  evidence  that  the 
time  is  near  at  hand  when  those  who  favor  the 
open-shed  principle  will  be  quite  as  numerous  as 
those  who  oppose  it.  I  regard  it  as  a  very  for- 
tunate thing  that  we  have  the  two  different  ways 
from  which  to  choose.  I  will  not  intrude  my 
opinion  as  to  which  is  the  better  way,  but  will 
leave  it  for  those  who  use  the  looms  to  decide, 
from  the  teachings  of  experience. 

Method  of  operation.— In  running  this  head- 
motion  the  fixer  will  have  very  little  trouble.  It 
is  so  constructed  that  most  of  the  parts  cannot  be 
misplaced.  The  part  of  the  cylinder  gear  that 
operates  the  harness  is  adjustable,  and  therefore 
can  be  moved  forward  a  few  teeth  from  the  part 
that  operates  the  box-motion.  This  allows  the 
shed  to  close  on  the  pick  as  it  is  beaten  in  by  the 
lathe.  Some  set  it  6  or  7  teeth  forward  of  the 
box-motion ;  but  this  is  too  risky.  To  move  it 
too  far  causes  the  shed  to  close  on  the  shuttle, 
and  thus  to  fray  the  warp  on  the  sides.  Great 
care  should  be  used  in  setting  the  shells  that  they 


be  both  set  alike,  so  that  they  engage  the  vibra- 
tor-gears at  the  same  time.  The  lock-knife 
should  close  in  on  the  vibrator-lever  at  the  same 
instant  that  the  gears  begin  to  move.  If  not, 
they  are  liable  to  be  slipped. 

Strapping  the  harness.— Avoid  strapping 
.the  harness  too  tight.  There  is  no  need  of  it ; 
and  unnecessary  friction  is  added  thereby. 
Should  the  soft  set-screw  ever  need  replacing  in 
the  chain-shaft-gear,  be  careful  to  get  it  in  the 
same  position  as  before,  for  should  the  chain  turn 
too  soon,  it  will  let  the  vibrators  drop  too  soon, 
and  cause  the  gears  to  slip  out  of  the  cylinder 
gear. 

Sweep  of  the  boxes,— The  sweep  of  the 
boxes  may  be  adjusted  by  the  bolt  and  slot  in 
the  compound  levers.  If  the  box  chains  are 
worn  in  some  places  more  than  in  others  you 
cannot  bring  them  to  the  right  height,  of  course. 
If  this  is  the  case,  do  not  botch  up  the  chains, 
but  take  them  off  and  file  them  even.  If  the 
work  does  not  call  for  the  fourth  box,  I  would 
run  the  shuttles  in  it,  even  on  plain  work,  enough 
to  keep  the  chain  worn  even. 

Balls  on  the  warp  chain.— The  balls  on  the 
warp  chain  should  be  fixed  to  prevent  the  pos- 
sibility of  them  touching  two  levers  at  once,  a 
thing  that  they  can  easily  do.  The  fingers  or 
levers  are  malleable,  and  if  new  and  old  ones  are 

52 


used  together  they  should  be  made  to  come  even 
by  bending.  A  little  care  on  the  part  of  the 
fixer  is  all  that  is  required  to  obtain  satisfaction 
from  this  excellent  head. 

Harness  on  plain  looms, — The  operation 
of  the  harness  on  plain  looms  was  formerly  by 
means  of  cams  and  rollers.  These  have  been 
superseded  by  the  side  levers  which  enables  each 
harness  to  be  operated  separately,  thus  giving 
greater  capacity  for  changes  of  weaves. 

Gam-looms. — Minutely  to  describe  the  differ- 
ent "  cam  looms  "  would  be  superfluous,  as,  in 
principle,  one  means  all.  There  is  little  to  it  on 
any  of  them,  but,  simple  as  they  are,  they  need 
to  be  properly  adjusted  to  get  good  results.  The 
rollers  should  be  adjusted  so  that  the  part  over 
which  the  back-strap  rolls  is  larger  than  the  rest 
of  them ;  and  all  of  them  should  be  graduated 
from  back  to  front,  the  front  being  the  smallest. 
This  gives  the  back  harness  more  sweep  than  the 
front  one;  and  starting  with  the  back  roll  and 
making  each  one  a  little  smaller  than  the  other, 
secures  that  the  yarn  is  lifted  to  an  equal  height, 
thus  giving  an  even  shed.  Make  each  of  the 
ends  of  the  rollers  alike.  It  will  not  do  to  have 
the  size  of  the  rolls  different  at  each  end,  as  by 
this  the  sweep  is  altered,  and  in  trying  to  get  the 
shed  right  at  one  end  the  other  end  will  be  made 
all  wrong.  It  is  not  necessary  for  the  hanging  of 

53 


the  harness  in  a  roller  or  cam  loom  to  be  a 
difficult  job,  and  yet  there  are  many  who  have  to 
do  a  great  deal  of  changing  and  trying  before 
they  get  a  proper  shed.  I  find  it  a  great  advan- 
tage to  arrange  the  underneath  straps,  so  that  in 
unhooking  them  to  take  the  harness  out  the 
length  is  not  changed.  When  so  arranged,  all 
that  is  needed  in  starting  a  warp  will  be  to  hook 
them  up,  and  if  the  shed  was  right  before  it  will 
be  right  now. 

For  plain  work,  where  the  same  is  continued 
year  in  and  year  out,  these  plain  looms  have 
much  to  recommend  them.  The  weavers  can 
handle  them  in  any  way  they  choose,  and  the 
shed  is  not  changed,  and  the  high  rate  of  speed 
at  which  they  can  be  run  gives  them  a  great 
capacity  for  a  large  production. 

The  side-lever  loom.— The  difficulty  in 
making  changes  in  the  various  forms  of  satinet 
weaves  on  roller-looms  makes  the  side-lever  loom 
a  very  desirable  one  where  a  variety  of  plain 
weaves  is  used.  The  style  of  side-lever  on  the 
excellent  loom  known  as  the  Gilbert  loom,  may 
be  found  also  on  others,  with  slight  alterations. 
The  cams  consist  of  thin  plates  having  grooves 
on  one  side  of  them;  for  different  weaves  the 
grooves  are  made  different,  having  a  longer  or 
shorter  dwell  as  may  be  required  by  the  weave. 

The  jacks  or  levers  have  a  stud  cast  on  the 

54 


side  which  fits  in  the  ^cove  of  the  cam-plate. 
On  some  looms  a  roll  is  fitted  over  the  stud 
which  makes  it  easier  for  it  to  follow  the  groove. 

The  cams  are  held  in  their  proper  "  time  "  by 
a  long  feather  or  key  on  the  cam-shaft,  and  the 
position  in  which  the  cams  may  be  set  depends 
entirely  on  the  cutting  of  the  key-slot  in  them. 
A  four-harness  twill  would  have  the  cams  num- 
bered from  i  to  4.  These,  put  on  in  that  way, 
give  the  twill  correctly.  If  you  wished  to  reverse 
the  twill  the  cams  would  be  put  on  beginning  at 
number  4. 

To  break  the  twill  it  would  only  be  necessary 
to  put  them  on  as  you  would  break  a  twill  in 
writing,  as  I — 3 — 2 — 4. 

Gears. — Different  gears  have  to  be  used  for 
different  weaves.  I  might  give  some  numbers 
for  the  Gilbert  loom,  and  also  for  the  Stafford, 
the  Davis  &  Furber,  and  others,  but  to  make  it 
complete  would  take  up  too  much  space,  besides 
being  unnecessary.  One  can  easily  study  out 
the  gears  he  wants  if  he  has  no  basis  from  which 
he  can  figure.  There  are  a  great  many  places 
where  no  record  is  kept  of  such  things,  and  one 
can  only  get  the  right  thing  by  trying.  A  plain 
cotton  weave  would  be  geared  so  as  to  make  one 
revolution  of  the  cam-shaft  for  every  two  picks, 
providing  there  is  but  one  lift  to  the  cam.  If  it 
raises  the  harness  twice  for  every  revolution  it 

55 


makes  it  has  two  lifts,  and  consequently  it  only 
has  to  run  one-half  as  fast,  or  one  revolution  for 
every  four  picks.  A  four-harness  cassimcre  twill 
will  make  one  revolution  for  every  four  picks.  A 
five-harness  doeskin  has  to  make  one  revolution 
every  five  picks. 

These  side-lever  looms,  when  the  weave  is 
changed,  and  every  thing  is  in  proper  time,  need 
less  altering  and  fixing  than  any  other  kind  of 
looms,  and  where  plain  work  is  made  they  are  a 
very  satisfactory  loom  to  all  concerned. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE    BOX-MOTION. 

THE  OLD  CAM-MOTION — THE  FORKS — SETTING   RATCHET  AND 

PLATE — THE    FRICTION    BAND TIMING  TH  K    STARTING  OF 

THE  BOXES— REGULATING  THE  STRAPS — WORN  FINGERS — 
FRICTION  OF  THE  CHAIN-CYLINDER — PUTTING  ON  THE  CYL- 
INDER— SETTING  THE  CYLINDER  GEAR — BOXES  MISSING — 
LEVERS — RUNNING  THE  FILLING  CHAIN — THE  FANCY  BOX- 
MOTION. 

The  old  cam-motion, — We  will  now  take  up 
the  box-motion,  beginning  with  the  old  style  cam- 
motion,  that  which  has  been  the  terror  of  loom- 
fixers  where  a  number  of  shuttles  had  to  be  used 
and  perhaps  a  peculiar  shaped  cam.  The  motion 
should  be  perfectly  steady  on  this,  but  I  have 
frequently  found  the  bearings  of  the  tappet-shaft 
worn  very  much.  This  is  gross  carelessness  on 
somebody's  part,  and  it  is  more  aggravating  when 
we  consider  the  importance  of  having  everything 
connected  with  the  box-motion  in  perfect  order. 

If  the  bearings  are  worn,  get  new  ones,  and 
have  them  fit  on  the  shaft,  so  that  there  is  no 
play  in  them.  In  putting  the  shaft  in,  take  the 
trouble  to  have  it  perfectly  true.  There  is  no 

57 


room  for  anything  but  absolutely  perfect  work  in 
dealing  with  this  thing.  Let  it  turn  easily  in  its 
bearings,  not  loosely,  but  a  "  fit." 

Ratchet-wheel  plate.— On  a  double  reverse 
motion  the  first  plate  for  the  ratchet-wheels  is 
keyed  on.  This  should  be  well  done,  so  as  to 
avoid  any  twisting  of  the  ratchet  plate  after  you 
have  it  set.  The  key  should  be  the  full  width  of 
the  key-way,  not  one  that  wedges  in  and  cracks 
the  hub  of  the  plate.  When  this  plate  is  fastened 
on,  put  the  ratchet  wheels  on  to  it  as  they  be- 
long. Do  not  make  them  very  fast  until  they  are 
set. 

The  forks. — On  the  tappet  plate  put  a  pair  of 
ratchet-wheels ;  then  get  the  forks  and  lever,  or 
hanger,  ready.  The  large  stud  in  the  lever  will, 
if  the  least  worn,  allow  the  lever  to  sway  to  and 
fro  in  working,  and  often  it  will  sway  enough  to 
make  the  fork  miss  a  tooth  on  the  ratchet.  This 
should  be  fixed,  if  too  badly  worn.  If  the  forks 
are  old  and  worn  blunt  they  should  be  filed. 
This  job  should  be  nicely  done,  and  by  care  the 
point  can  be  shaped  to  draw  into  the  ratchet. 
They  can  just  as  easily  be  filed  so  that  the  point 
will  slip  out,  so  it  pays  to  be  careful. 

I  would  not  use  a  fork  if  required  for  reverse, 
if  it  had  to  be  filed  too  much  to  bring  it  right. 
They  are  of  course  shortened,  and  the  points  are 
wider  apart  than  they  should  be,  making  trouble 

58 


in  getting  the  chain  to  vibrate  the  fingers 
enough.  In  filing,  be  sure  that  the  top  ones  are 
alike,  and  the  bottom  ones  the  same.  You  can- 
not fully  determine  just  how  the  forks  are  going 
to  fit  until  they  are  tried  on. 

The  stud  on  the  top  of  the  lever  should  be 
raised  high  enough  to  bring  the  pin  that  holds 
the  fork  in  the  lever  in  line  with  the  tappet-shaft. 
This  will  usually  be  found  to  be  the  top  of  the 
slot.  Now  put  the  cam-plate  on  the  bottom 
shaft,  having  previously  fitted  two  cam-blocks  on 
it,  each  exactly  alike  in  regard  to  their  shape,  and 
also  as  to  the  distance  from  the  centre  of  the 
plate.  This  insures  an  equal  push  by  each  cam- 
block.  The  cam-plate  should  now  be  turned  so 
that  the  blocks  push  the  lever  to  its  farthest  ex- 
tent, and  then  you  can  set  the  ratchet  wheels 
against  the  fork. 

Setting  ratchet  and  plate. — The  object 
sought  in  setting  the  ratchet  with  the  forks  pushed 
to  their  fullest  extent  is  to  get  our  tappet-plate 
fastened  where  it  ought  to  be,  and  there  is  no 
other  way  that  can  be  employed  in  doing  this, 
unless  you  guess  at  it,  as  we  shall  see.  Now,  if 
the  fork  is  pushed  as  far  as  the  blocks  are  set  to 
push  it,  we  can  set  the  plate  and  the  ratchets, 
both  forward  and  reverse,  and  we  know  they  can- 
not be  pushed  any  farther.  We  want  the  plate 
to  be  set  so  that  the  centre  of  the  truck-roll  stud 

59 


is  directly  in  line  perpendicularly  with  the  centre 
of  the  tappet-shaft. 

We  put  on  a  tappet  to  guide  us  in  setting,  and 
turn  the  plate  by  hand  to  its  right  place.  If  the 
friction  band  is  on  you  can  tighten  it  so  as  to 
hold  the  plate  where  you  put  it,  having  your 
hands  free  to  set  the  ratchet-wheels. 

Set  the  top  one  so  that  you  can  just  lift  the 
fork  out  of  the  tooth  of  the  ratchet-wheel.  Set 
the  reverse  underneath  in  the  same  way.  You 
will  find,  perhaps,  that  it  is  hard  to  move  one  so 
as  to.  set  it  without  throwing  the  other  out  of 
place.  But  it  should  not  be  neglected  in  the 
least,  and  if,  after  trying  it  when  everything  is 
fastened  and  ready  to  start,  you  find  it  is  not  just 
right,  do  it  over  again.  When  it  is  set  right,  the 
fork  should  be  so  that  there  is  hardly  room  to 
lift  it  out  of  the  tooth  of  the  ratchet  when  the 
plate  is  held  tight  by  the  friction-band.  Lift  it 
out  of  the  top  or  push  side,  and  press  the  bottom 
fork  in  the  reverse  side,  and  if  they  go  in  with  a 
snap  they  are  right,  providing  your  plate  is  where 
it  should  be.  Getting  the  plate  right,  and  at  the 
same  time  setting  the  ratchet-wheel  is  the  prime 
object. 

The  friction  band.— The  friction  band  is  of 
far  more  importance  in  the  successful  running  of 
the  box-motion  than  most  fixers  seem  to  be 
aware  of,  judging  from  the  careless  way  in  which 

60 


some  of  the  bands  are  made  and  kept  in  order. 
I  know  of  nothing  that  gives  such  good  returns 
for  the  labor  expended  in  doing  a  good  job  than 
on  this.  The  band  should  be  made  out  of  a  piece 
of  iron  of  good  quality,  so  that  you  can  make 
holes  for  the  rivets  and  not  have  the  band  break 
at  the  holes.  Get  the  band  as  wide  as  possible, 
but  be  very  careful  not  to  get  it  too  wide,  as  some 
cams  or  tappets  fit  the  plate  differently  than 
others,  and  would  be  a  source  of  trouble  if  they 
should  cause  the  band  to  bind.  Line  the  inside 
of  the  band  with  a  piece  of  new  leather;  it  should 
be  the  best  you  can  get,  and  uniform.  Put  it  on 
as  tight  as  possible,  and  cut  the  leather  so  as  to 
let  the  rivet-heads  sink  into  it,  and  not  come  out 
flush  with  the  rest  of  the  leather. 

Effect  of  a  good  band. — The  effect  of  a  good 

friction-band  is  to  give  a  smooth,  easy  movement 
to  the  boxes.  If  the  leather  becomes  glazed,  the 
friction  lets  the  plate  turn  in  a  jerking  manner, 
and  the  same  motion  is  imparted  to  the  boxes. 
An  important  advantage  in  using  a  good  leather 
lining  is  that  it  takes  less  friction  to  keep  the 
boxes  from  dropping,  consequently  there  is  less 
strain  on  all  parts. 

Timing  the  starting  of  the  boxes. — In 

timing  the  starting  of  the  boxes  there  is  little 
room  for  variation.  The  tappet  should  move  just 
enough  to  raise  or  lower  the  box  l/§  of  an  inch 

61 


when  the  protector  strikes.  On  some  patterns 
where  you  skip  a  box,  or  perhaps  two,  it  is  some- 
times necessary  to  start  it  sooner;  but  there  is 
risk  in  turning  it  too  soon,  as  the  swell  on  the 
next  box  is  liable  to  open  out  the  protector  and 
let  the  loom  keep  right  on  running  with  a  shut- 
tle in  the  shed. 

Regulating  the  straps,— In  regulating  the 
straps  that  connect  the  filling  chain  fingers  with 
the  fork,  let  the  lathe  be  back;  this  allows  the 
fork  to  go  back  as  far  as  it  will  go.  Adjust  the 
straps  on  a  reverse  ball  first.  Do  not  fall  into 
the  common  error  of  having  the  connection  too 
short.  It  is  done  to  prevent  the  fork  from  slip- 
ping out  of  the  ratchet.  If  the  fork  is  inclined 
to  slip  out,  the  strap  cannot  hold  it  in,  so  there 
is  no  excuse  for  having  it  too  short  on  that 
score. 

Set  the  chain  on  a  reverse  ball,  and  adjust  the 
strap  so  that  it  draws  the  forks  up  into  the  rat- 
chets underneath.  They  need  only  to  touch  the 
ratchet  wheel  loosely.  If  too  tight  the  straps 
draw  on  the  fingers,  and  when  the  chain  is  turn- 
ing from  a  blank  to  a  reverse  bar  the  pressure 
will  occasionally  slip  the  chain  on  the  cylinder. 
This  will  sometimes  confuse  the  fixer,  and  think- 
ing that  the  forks  missed  catching  in  reversing, 
he  tightens  the  straps  and  increases  the  trouble. 
If  made  so  that  they  catch,  it  is  enough,  and  it 

62 


leaves  room  for  the  forks  to  drop  into  the  top 
ratchets.  There  will  be  no  trouble  in  missing  if 
the  points  of  the  forks  and  the  tooth  of  the  rat- 
chet are  of  the  right  bevel. 

Worn  fingers. — Sometimes  the  under  side  of 
the  fingers  are  worn  at  the  place  where  the  ball 
rests.  If  so,  they  should  be  filed  so  that  the 
finger  is  straight.  If  not,  it  lifts  with  an  unsteady 
motion  which  will  shake  the  forks  and  make 
them  liable  to  miss.  To  remedy  this,  weights 
are  tied  on  the  forks,  and  I  consider  these 
entirely  unnecessary.  If  the  fingers  are  made 
to  work  smooth  and  easy,  and  the  straps  prop- 
erly adjusted,  the  forks  are  heavy  enough.  The 
filling  chain  should  not  be  set  to  move  until  the 
forks  begin  to  retreat.  If  moved  too  soon,  the 
fork  is  brought  in  contact  with  the  under  side  of 
the  ratchet-wheel  on  reverse  motion,  and  will 
slip  the  chain  the  same  as  with  a  tight  strap. 

Friction  of  the  chain-cylinder.— The  fric- 
tion of  the  chain-cylinder  is  a  particular  thing  to 
adjust.  Some  fixers  will  not  allow  the  weavers 
to  oil  the  stud  on  which  the  chain-cylinder  runs. 
If  this  is  not  done  the  back  of  it  becomes  dry 
and  the  cylinder  turns  with  a  jerk,  and  sometimes 
will  not  stop  when  it  should.  The  stud  should 
be  oiled,  but  not  the  friction  end  of  it.  The 
leather  washer  used  for  friction  should  be  made 
of  new  leather,  and  the  inside  cut  out  with  a 

63 


sharp  tool,  so  that  it  fits  very  tight  on  the  square 
shank  of  the  stud.  It  should  not  be  too  thick, 
as  the  iron  washer  should  also  fit  on  the  square 
shank  to  keep  the  whole  from  turning  with  the 
chain-cylinder.  A  little  care  is  needed  in  making 
this  friction  what  it  should  be,  but  it  is  a  part 
that  can  put  the  fixer  to  lots  of  trouble  if  it  be 
not  right. 

Connecting  the  rod  for  turning  the  cyl- 
inder.— There  are  various  ways  of  connecting 
the  rod  for  turning  the  cylinder  on  the  pump- 
motion.  The  best  way  is  to  turn  it  from  the 
eccentric  plate,  on  this  style  of  loom  ,  but  many 
are  run  from  the  pump-rod.  The  objection  to 
the  latter  way  is,  that  the  unsteady  motion 
caused  by  the  parts  being  worn  is  imparted  to 
the  motion  of  the  cylinder,  and  this  should  be 
avoided  whenever  possible. 

The  filling  chain  on  the  other  styles  of  looms, 
excepting  the  1880  and  later  kinds  are  turned  by 
the  pick  and  pick  gear  in  connection  with  cam- 
block  plate.  This  gives  no  trouble,  and  is  so 
simple  as  to  require  no  particular  mention. 

The  box-motion. — The  box-motion  on  the 
1880  loom  with  the  improvements  up  to  the 
present  time  make  this  as  near  perfection  as  one 
could  well  wish.  We  hear  complaints  from 
some,  but  that  will  always  be.  It  will  require 
skill  and  good  judgment  to  run  any  loom  that  is 

64 


capable  of  producing  the  variety  of  goods  that 
the  markets  now  require,  and  which  will  in- 
crease in  their  complication  from  year  to  year. 

On  the  1880  loom,  the  box-motion  is  com- 
posed of  a  series  of  levers,  and  their  operation,  in 
connection  with  the  complicated  arrangement  of 
gears,  offers  a  very  uninviting  field  for  careless 
fixing.  If  kept  in  proper  order,  I  think  this  mo- 
tion is  more  reliable  than  the  old  tappet-motion 
in  avoiding  changing  or  missing;  but  the 
arrangement,  taken  as  a  whole,  calls  for  sound 
mechanical  ideas  on  the  part  of  the  fixer.  It  c.in 
soon  be  ruined  by  botch  work.  I  like  the  idea 
that  we  have  a  chance  to  exercise  our  skill  in 
doing  a  job  in  a  scientific  manner  on  this  box- 
motion. 

Putting  on  cylinder-gears. — In  setting  the 
parts  of  this,  we  will  begin  by  putting  on  the 
cylinder  or  quill-gears,  the  vibrating  levers  being 
already  jn  place.  We  will  put  the  gears  on 
without  setting  them  in  any  particular  place  until 
we  find  things  in  their  proper  positions.  The 
cam-gear  stud  may  need  to  be  set,  and  to  find 
that  out,  we  put  the  gear  on,  and  then  try  the 
"  dwell "  cylinder-gear.  The  dwell  should  fit 
almost  tight  on  the  slide  made  for  it  on  the  cam- 
gear  ;  if  it  does  not  the  teeth  of  the  cam-gear  will 
fail  to  mesh  with  those  of  the  gear  on  the  bottom 
shaft,  and  you  know  what  the  result  is. 

65 


I  have  often  known  these  teeth  to  catch,  and 
fixers  were  at  a  loss  to  comprehend  the  cause. 
There  is  no  other  cause  for  this  mishap  than  the 
dwell  on  the  cylinder-gear  being  too  loose,  and 
thus  failing  to  guide  the  teeth  in  their  proper 
place.  To  set  it  up  tight,  observe  that  the  stud 
for  the  cam-gear  is  turned  on  an  eccentric.  You 
can  loosen  the  set-screws  and  turn  the  stud 
wherever  you  wish. 

In  setting  the  gears  you  will,  after  putting  on 
the  cam-gear,  notice  that  there  is  but  one  place 
that  the  dwell-gear  can  be  set,  so  you  cannot  get 
that  in  the  wrong  place.  The  other  cylinder- 
gear  has  to  be  set,  and  if  not  in  the  right  place 
to  a  tooth  it  will  make  trouble. 

Setting  the  cylinder-gear. — To  set  it  is 
very  simple.  Slide  it  on  the  stud  and  press  one 
of  the  vibrator  levers  as  far  as  it  will  go  towards 
it.  Set  the  gear,  so  that  when  meshed  with  the 
intermediate,  and  turned  over  and  towards  the 
lever-gear,  to  take  up  the  play  in  the  teeth  of 
them,  the  last  tooth  of  the  cylinder-gear  barely 
touches  the  teeth  of  the  lever-gear.  This  allows 
the  latter  gear  to  get  into  its  place  before  the 
cylinder-gear  starts  to  move. 

Sometimes  you  can  find  many  of  the  cylinder- 
gears  worn  for  four  or  five  teeth.  When  they 
are  in  this  condition  the  box  makes  the  attempt 
to  get  to  its  place,  but  there  not  being  enough 

66 


teeth  in  the  cylinder  it  cannot  turn  the  lever- 
gear  far  enough.  The  reason  the  cylinder-gear 
is  worn  is,  that  the  lever-gear  has  been  gearing 
into  it  after  it  began  to  turn.  The  fault  lies  in 
the  gearing  or  timing  of  the  cylinder-gear.  It 
starts  so  soon  that  the  lever-gear  strikes  it  while 
going  at  full  speed,  and  thus  begins  to  wear 
them  both.  If  the  cylinder  is  set  as  I  have 
described  the  lever-gear  is  well  into  place  before 
they  start. 

Boxes  Missing. — This  may  also  explain  why 
we  find  the  box  on  one  side  dropped  down,  while 
the  other  side  is  all ,  right.  The  gear  which  is 
working  pretty  close  happens  to  miss  one  of  the 
lever-gears,  because  the  teeth  on  it  are  worn,  or 
perhaps  the  lever-gear  does  not  gear  into  the 
cylinders  far  enough.  That  is  the  place  to  look 
for  the  cause  of  a  box  missing  like  that.  There 
is  some  little  thing  about  the  gearing  of  the  lever 
that  is  wrong.  I  mention  this  because  I  have 
seen  the  filling  chain,  and  the  fingers  on  the  fill- 
ing chain  tinkered  with  when  the  whole  trouble 
lay  in  the  levers  and  gearing. 

Levers. — Now,  without  waiting  to  be  driven 
to  it  by  the  loom  refusing  to  work  right,  suppose 
we  just  look  over  a  set  of  levers,  and  see  how 
they  are  and  how  they  should  be.  If  the  levers 
have  ever  been  filed,  either  on  the  top  or  bottom, 
or  the  vibrating  finger,  the  only  way  to  put  them 

67 


in  good  shape  is  to  put  a  new  one  on.  There  is 
never  any  room  for  too  much  metal  about  the 
levers.  They  could  not  be  put  on  and  tried  each 
way  with  the  indicating  fingers  without  binding, 
and  I  always  found  these  box-motion  levers  well 
handled  when  they  left  the  shops.  The  only  time 
they  get  filed  is  when  the  stud  for  the  indicating 
finger  lever  gets  set  wrong  and  binds  the  vibra- 
ting finger  too  tight  one  way,  or  something  like 
that  occurs  which  only  requires  a  slight  altera- 
tion. But,  without  counting  the  cost  or  looking 
on  the  other  side  of  the  queston,  the  fixer  files 
something.  The  metal  once  removed  cannot  be 
replaced  again,  although  I  have  seen  it  tried.  Yes, 
indeed,  I  have  seen  such  botch  work  on  these 
looms  as  required  pins  to  be  inserted  in  the  tops 
of  the  levers  to  compensate  for  what  had  been 
filed  off.  A  pretty  mess !  It  is  always  safe  to  let 
the  filing  alone  until  you  have  become  thoroughly 
satisfied  that  you  are  right;  and  in  regard  to 
these  levers  I  am  very  certain  that  if  one  tried 
very  hard,  he  could  be  easily  satisfied  that  they 
needed  no  filing.  The  grates  at  the  bottom  of  the 
lever  are  the  only  things  that  I  see  about  these 
looms,  or  rather  about  this  box-motion,  which  in 
any  way  needs  filing.  .  In  fact  you  can  use  this 
grate  sometimes  to  help  you  in  making  the  vibra- 
tor fingers  and  the  indicating  fingers  fit. 

Easing  the  Levers.— If,  in  trying  the  indi- 
68 


cator  fingers  into  the  vibrators,  you  find  they 
bind,  try  the  other  side  and  divide  up  this  undue 
strain  on  the  levers  by  moving  the  indicator  lever 
stud.  This  done,  you  can  file  each  side  of  the 
grate-slot,  and  thus  ease  up  the  levers  when  the 
indicator  raises  up  into  the  vibrators;  and  at  the 
same  time,  by  taking  it  off  each  end  of  the  slot, 
you  cause  the  lever-gears  to  gear  deeper  in  each 
of  the  cylinders  instead  of  only  one  of  them. 
Aim  to  keep  the  vibrator  fingers  in  such  shape 
that  when  the  indicator  presses  into  them  it  holds 
the  lever-gears  firmly  into  the  cylinder;  there 
should  be  no  play  or  rattle  about  them  at  all. 

Fingers  for  the  vibrators. — There  are  two 
kinds  of  fingers  to  operate  the  vibrators.  The 
first  kind  worked  in  connection  with  the  under- 
neath fingers.  There  was  considerable  dissatis- 
faction with  them,  and  in  some  mills  they  were 
taken  off  and  replaced  by  the  fingers  which  acted 
directly  on  the  vibrators.  My  experience  with 
the  first  kind  of  fingers  has  taught  me  that  the 
principal  trouble  is  that  the  fingers  are  not  heavy 
enough  for  the  improved  vibrator  finger.  It  will 
give  trouble  in  other  ways,  but  I  think  it  is  easy 
to  keep  it  in  proper  shape,  so  that  it  will  run  right 
along. 

Running  the  filling  chain.— There  is  a 
point  in  running  the  filling  chain,  which  may  well 
be  heeded.  The  underneath  fingers  are  curved 

69 


and  their  points  reach  considerably  further  than 
the  place  where  the  ball  rests  when  the  chain  is 
stopped.  The  ball,  in  coming  up,  begins  to  lift  it 
early,  and,  being  at  the  longest  point  of  the  fin- 
ger or  lever,  lifts  more  slowly  and  consequently 
more  steadily,  and  by  the  time  the  chain  stops 
turning,  it  has  lifted  the  long  finger  into  place 
with  an  easy  motion.  Let  the  chain  turn  from 
the  loom,  and  the  ball  comes  under  the  finger  at 
the  short  end  of  it,  regarding  it  as  a  lever,  and  it 
lifts  it  suddenly  and  quickly  into  place.  Now, 
this  jerking  the  lever  up  gives  it  a  bound  which 
it  cannot  recover  from  in  time,  and  it  is  liable  to 
cause  some  of  the  vibrators  to  change  or  to  do 
harm  in  some  way.  A  moment's  study  of  the 
principle  of  this  combination  of  levers  will  suffice 
to  show  how  natural  the  movement  is;  but  some 
men  never  think,  and  that  was  the  trouble  with 
the  fixer  who  considered  that  anything  was  good 
enough,  and  so  some  of  his  cylinders  were  turned 
from  the  loom  and  some  towards  it.  He  had 
trouble  with  the  fingers;  they  would  fly  up  and 
come  down  with  several  bounds.  Hooks  were 
inserted  in  the  bottom  of  the  fingers,  and  springs 
applied  to  each  of  them.  For  some  reason,  he 
could  not  tell  what,  the  points  were  broken  off 
the  underneath  fingers  and  the  end  rounded  to  a 
nice  blunt  shape.  Then,  when  he  did  run  the 
chain  the  right  way,  the  fingers  were  so  blunt  that 


when  the  balls  struck  them  they  were  lifted  with 
such  force  as  almost  to  throw  the  long  lever  clear 
over;  and  so  things  went,  until  in  about  a  year 
from  the  time  the  looms  were  put  in,  new  from 
the  shop,  there  was  very  little  left  of  the  original 
box-motion.  This  is  the  result  of  reckless  alter- 
ing without  considering  the  relation  which  the 
thing  you  are  working  on  has  to  something  else. 

Other  considerations. — More  could  be  said 
about  this  box-motion.  I  might  describe  the 
adventures  of  the  fixer,  who,  for  a  whole  day, 
worked  on  a  loom  to  remedy  the  effects  of  chang- 
ing the  star-wheel — a  thing  that  with  ordinary 
judgment  could  be  pulled  to  pieces  and  replaced 
in  five  minutes.  When  you  alter  one  thing  with- 
out first  thoroughly  understanding  what  you  are 
doing,  you  cannot  expect  to  fix  it  by  altering 
something  else. 

The  fixer  who  is  successful  on  one  kind  of  loom 
is  successful  on  all  kinds,  because  he  thinks.  A 
new  style  of  head  or  box-motion  has  no  terror  for 
him,  because  he  reasons  that  there  is  a  principle 
about  machinery,  and  the  makers  of  a  loom  can- 
not depart  from  it  and  he  can  follow  out  their 
idea  from  a  mechanical  stand-point  and  get  all  the 
good  there  is  in  it. 

The  fancy  box-motion.— The  fancy  box- 
motion  made  by  Crompton,  to  apply  on  looms  of 
the  old  tappet  style,  is  a  very  excellent  arrange- 


ment  indeed,  and  where  mills  are  on  work  which 
requires  a  good  many  shuttles  I  call  it  an  invalu- 
able improvement.  The  arrangement  is  practi- 
cally the  same  as  on  the  new  loom,  being  altered 
only  to  suit  the  difference  in  the  loom.  The  filling 
chain  is  turned  with  a  hook  as  on  the  old  style. 
It  is  not  perfect,  but  such  as  it  is,  it  is  a  great 
stride  in  advance  of  the  old  tappet  motion. 

The  1883  loom  differs  in  that  the  levers  for  the 
box-motion  are  placed  in  a  horizontal  position, 
thus  doing  away  with  the  upright  levers  or  vi- 
brator levers.  The  balls  on  the  filling  chain  lift 
the  fingers  that  ride  on  the  chain,  and  they,  in 
turn,  lift  the  levers  below  on  which  are  the  lifting 
or  vibrator-gears.  The  two  quills  are  placed  one 
above  the  other,  between  which  the  vibrator- 
gears  are  placed.  The  action  is  more  direct  and 
it  does  away  with  some  of  the  difficulties  experi- 
enced with  the  earlier  kinds. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

STARTING   A   WARP. 

GETTING  A  WARP  READY — CONDITION  OF  THE  HARNESSES — 
REPAIRING  HARNESSES — HOOKS — NUTS  ON  THE  HEDDLE — 
WIRES — RULE  FOR  THE  NUMBER  OF  HEDDLES — DRAFT- 
DRAWING  IN  THE  WARP — THE  RIGHT  KINDS  OF  REEDS — 
IMPERFECT  REEDS — REEDING  THE  WARP — FINDING  THE 
WIDTH — MEASURING — LEASE  RODS. 

Repairing  and  starting  a  warp, — In  the 

preceding  chapters  the  principle  subjects  have 
been  touched.  The  minor  details  have  been 
omitted  for  want  of  space.  We  will  proceed  to 
get  a  warp  ready  and  to  start  it,  and  will  speak  of 
the  various  things  that  come  in  our  way  as  we  go 
along. 

Drawing  in  the  warp, — The  drawing  in  of 
warps  is  a  subject  that  seems  to  have  different 
degrees  of  importance  attached  to  it  in  different 
mills.  Of  course  the  drawing  in  can  only  be 
done  in  one  way ;  but  the  work  incident  thereto 
can  be  done  in  several  ways,  and  in  most  mills 
there  is  a  chance  for  improved  methods  to  be 
worked  in. 

73 


Condition  of  the  harnesses. — I  think  it  is  a 
fact  that  in  nearly  all  mills  of  ordinary  size  the 
care  of  the  harnesses  devolves  upon  persons^  who 
think  their  duties  are  not  anything  more  than 
merely  to  clean  the  harness  and  reeds.  No  at- 
tention whatever  is  paid  to  their  condition.  Some- 
times a  hook  has  broken  off  in  the  wood  under- 
neath while  in  the  loom.  The  fixer,  unable  to 
get  at  it  to  make  a  proper  job  of  it,  has  tied  the 
wire  on  with  a  piece  of  lace  leather.  When  that 
harness  once  more  gets  to  a  loom,  the  lace  has  to 
be  resorted  to  again.  The  same  with  hooks  for 
the  heddle  wire.  Then,  again,  the  pins  that  fasten 
the  heddle  wire  get  lost.  The  harness  goes  in 
the  loom  all  the  same  and  the  bar  or  heddle  wire, 
being  loose,  gets  kinked  and  causes  the  top  or 
twisted  ends  of  the  heddles  to  catch  on  the  next 
harness  and  they  are  spoiled.  So  is  the  wood  or 
frame  on  which  they  caught.  This  is  a  picture 
of  no  rare  occurrence,  but  rather  of  a  very  com- 
mon one.  The  harnesses  are  a  much  abused  ar- 
ticle in  my  opinion  and  it  is  because  no  one  seems 
to  attach  the  importance  to  them  that  they  de- 
serve. If  other  things  were  to  be  neglected  as 
they  are,  we  should  think  the  weave  room  was 
going  to  ruin. 

Repairing  harness. — I  would  have  some  one 
responsible  for  the  care  of  them  who  was  able  to 
keep  them  in  good  repair.  A  set  of  harness 

74 


nearly  always  needs  some  little  repairing  after 
weaving  a  warp  out,  and  the  better  they  are  cared 
for,  the  less  accidents  will  happen  to  them.  The 
hooks  should  always  be  uniform.  In  some  mills 
where  there  are  different  kinds  of  looms,  different 
lengths  of  underneath  wires  are  used,  and  even 
top-hooks  have  to  be  moved  to  suit  the  different 
looms  in  which  the  harness  goes.  This  should 
not  be.  The  distance  apart  on  all  the  harness  in 
the  mill  should  be  of  one  standard.  The  mov- 
ing of  hooks  ruins  the  harness-frames  by  wear- 
ing out  the  holes,  and  in  trying  to  fix  the  hooks 
so  they  will  not  come  out  the  harness  get  split. 
Hooks. — The  inside  hooks  should  be  put  in 
so  that  they  are  all  of  the  same  length  from  the 
inside  of  the  frame.  If  not,  one  hook  bears  the 
strain  of  the  heddle-wire  more  than  the  other. 
Care  should  be  used  that  the  hooks  are  not 
screwed  in  too  far.  Sometimes  they  are  put  in 
so  far  that  the  top  or  twisted  end  of  the  heddle 
touches  the  frame  when  you  try  to  unhook  it. 
This  should  always  be  avoided,  for  it  causes  the 
heddles  to  get  bent  while  the  bar  is  being  un- 
hooked to  move  them. 

Center-wires. — The  center-wires  are  a  good 
thing  and  there  is  no  reason  why  they  should  not 
be  on  all  harness,  and  a  great  many  reasons  why 
they  should.  The  heddles  will  last  longer,  the 
weaver  can  move  the  heddles  more  freely  in  put- 

75 


ting  in  threads ;  they  save  the  harness  and  help 
the  fixer  in  determining  what  strain  he  is  putting 
on  when  hooking  up  the  harness. 

Nuts  on  the  heddle-wire.— The  easiest 
thing  to  neglect  is  the  nuts  on  the  heddle-wire. 
They  are  so  small  that  the  thread  is  poor  at  best, 
but  being  out  of  the  fixer's  line  of  business,  they 
do  not  get  tightened  up  when  in  the  loom ;  and 
when  in  the  drawing-in-frame,  they  give  no  trou- 
ble and  are  neglected  there  till  the  heddles  are 
spoiled.  There  is  no  way  to  keep  such  things 
right  but  to  look  for  these  faults.  A  set  should 
be  carefully  examined  before  the  warp  is  drawn 
in  and  everything  put  in  order. 

Threads  on  the  butt. — Provide  a  die  to  re- 
cut  the  threads  on  the  butt.  It  will  be  some 
trouble,  of  course,  but  the  trouble  caused  by  bad 
harness  in  a  loom,  both  to  the  loom-fixer  and  to 
the  weaver,  is  a  hundred  times  greater  than  the 
work  required  to  keep  harness  in  proper  order, 
and  far  less  satisfactory.  A  loom  running  on 
nice  work,  with  a  good  many  harness,  is  at  a 
great  disadvantage  if  it  has  a  poor  set  of  harness 
in  it.  It  will  profit  the  overseer,  as  well  as  all 
concerned,  if  the  harness  receive  attention  and 
are  kept  in  good  repair. 

The  size  of  heddle.— The  size  of  heddle  to 
use  is  a  subject  on  which  opinions  differ.  My  ex- 
perience has  been  that  it  is  not  best  to  use  a  finer 

76 


number  than  24,  and  I  like  a  23  the  best  for  all 
purposes.  On  Blankets  and  such  goods,  that 
take  yarn  of  a  coarse  quality,  I  would  have  num- 
ber 22  heddles.  Some  overseers  want  a  very  fine 
heddle  when  finer  yarns  are  used,  and  when  the 
warps  contain  a  large  number  of  threads.  They 
give  as  a  reason,  that  the  large  heddle  crowds  the 
warp.  Well  if  a  large  number  of  threads  should 
be  drawn  on  few  harness,  that  might  be  true,  but 
such  is  seldom  the  case  in  fancy  cassimere  mills; 
and,  if  true,  it  is  unnecessary.  I  would  not  draw 
that  way  if  it  crowded  the  warp,  but  would  repeat 
the  draft.  We  want  a  heddle  that  will  give  the 
best  results^ll  things  considered.  A  thread  will 
be  less  liabfe  to  meet  with  friction,  in  the  intersec- 
tions in  the  eye  of  the  heddle,  in  a  coarse  one, 
than  it  will  in  a  fine  one.  Then,  there  is  the  ad- 
vantage of  a  stronger  and  better  heddle  lessening 
the  chances  of  heddle-smashing.  I  have  used 
them  on  fine  worsteds  when  over  6.000  threads 
were  employed,  and  reeded  only  66  inches  wide, 
and  I  found  the  results  very  satisfactory.  How- 
ever, it  will  be  a  profitable  and  satisfactory  thing 
for  overseers  to  make  a  trial  of  this  thing,  and 
thus  see  for  themselves  which  gives  the  best  re- 
sults. 

Rule  for  number  of  heddles.— To  estimate 
the  number  of  heddles  required  for  warps  with  a 
cross-draw,  I  give  the  following  simple  and  nat- 

77 


ural   rale.      Multiply  the  number  of  times  the 
thread  is  drawn  in  on  each  particular  harness,  by 
the  number  of  patterns  in  the  warp.     Thus  5408 
threads,  26  in  pattern,  208  patterns  in  warp. 
DRAFT. 


26  threads  in  pattern. 

Number  I  is  drawn  3  times  3  +  208=624 


2  " 

3 

3+208=624 

3  " 

«       2      « 

2+208=416 

4  " 

"       2       " 

2+208=416 

5  " 

«       2      « 

2+208=416 

6  " 

«        2       " 

2+208=416 

7  " 

"       2      " 

2+208=416 

8  " 

"        2      " 

2+208=416 

9  " 

"        2       ° 

2+208=416 

10  " 

"        2      " 

2+208=416 

ii  " 

"        2      " 

2+208=416 

12  " 

«        2       ** 

2+208=416 

Number  of  heddles,    .    .    .  5408 

Drawing  in  the  warp. — Wj  are  now  ready 
to  draw  in  the  warp.     In  this  work  the  overseer 

78 


may  also  interest  himself  more  than  is  usual,  and 
do  good.  The  work  is  mostly  done  by  younger 
persons,  or  by  those  who  are  not  in  a  position  to 
judge  fully  the  importance  of  the  task  they  are 
performing.  For  their  good,  and  for  the  benefit 
of  the  loom-fixers  and  weavers,  it  is  best  for  the 
overseer  to  see  to  it  that  the  drawing-in  is  done 
after  his  own  ideas.  The  dravver-in  should  be 
provided  with  suitable  hooks  for  both  drawing-in 
and  reeding.  The  time  lost  in  working  with  poor 
hooks  is  quite  an  item.  By  having  a  system  of 
measuring,  the  heddle  bars  can  all  be  hooked  up 
while  in  the  drawing-in-frame.  They  should  never 
be  taken  out  until  they  are.  The  damage  done  by 
leaving  the  bars  unhooked  is  unnecessary  and 
very  aggravating  to  the  loom-fixer,  who  is  com- 
pelled to  put  in  the  threads  broken  by  the  tops 
of  the  heddles,  sometimes  in  whole  bunches. 

The  drawer-in  should  be  held  to  strict  account 
for  mistakes  made.  Frequently  the  errors  made 
in  drawing-in  are  taken  as  a  matter  of  course.  I 
find  that  there  are  less  of  them  if  the  drawer-in 
is  made  to  bear  a  share  of  the  responsibility. 

The  right  kind  of  reeds.— The  reeds  used 
in  the  weave-rooms  of  many  first-class  mills  are 
far  from  being  what  they  should  be.  They  can- 
not be  handled  too  carefully.  A  reed  should 
never  be  thrown  on  the  floor,  or  laid  on  any  but 
a  flat  surface.  It  is  an  easy  matter  to  kink  or 

79 


bend  a  reed,  and  once  bent  it  is  like  a  saw-blade, 
it  can  never  be  perfectly  straightened. 

Bending  reeds. — The  practice  of  bending 
a  reed  in  the  loom  with  the  hammer,  alluded  to 
in  a  previous  chapter,  should  not  be  permitted. 
This  causes  great  damage  to  the  reeds,  and  makes 
trouble  for  every  one.  When  the  dents  are  spread 
apart,  or  bent,  great  care  should  be  exercised  in 
repairing  the  defect.  It  is  sometimes  done  with 
the  blade  of  a  knife  or  the  point  of  a  screw  driver, 
a  veryclumsy  way,  as  any  one  will  admit.  A  pair 
of  reed  plyers  should  be  used,  and  the  reed  shoufd 
be  made  as  near  perfect  as  the  eye  can  judge. 

There  are  many  kinds  of  fine  goods  that  are 
seriously  damaged  by  wide  splits.  In  former  times 
a  slight  streak  in  the  cloth  would  not  be  noticed ; 
but  nothing  short  of  perfection  seems  to  suit  now. 

Imperfect  reeds,— Among  the  ill  effects  of  an 
imperfect  reed  perhaps  none  are  more  important 
than  the  confusion  of  the  weavers  by  wide  dents. 
They  get  accustomed  to  seeing  the  streaks  in  the 
cloth  as  they  are  weaving  and  very  often  a  wrong 
draw  goes  unnoticed  under  the  impression  that  it 
is  a  wide  dent.  The  cloth  should  present  an 
even  and  perfect  appearance  to  the  weaver  whose 
attention  is  then  easily  attracted  by  every  imper- 
fection, however  slight. 

Poor  reeds  are  expensive.— The  quality  of 
our  reeds  should  be  carefully  noted.  A  poor 

80 


reed  is  a  very  expensive  thing.  We  often  find  a 
reed  that  will  bend  easily.  If  the  dents  are  soft 
enough  to  bend  readily  they  are  usually  soft 
enough  to  wear,  and  the  effect  of  a  worn  reed 
on  a  fine  warp  is  well  known.  If  the  overseer  is 
careful  to  notice  how  the  reeds  obtained  from 
different  makers  turn  out,  as  to  quality,  he  can 
soon  determine  how  to  keep  the  room  supplied 
with  the  best  that  can  be  had.  The  flexible 
bevel-dent-reed  lately  introduced  commends 
itself  to  overseers  for  the  many  good  qualities  it 
possesses.  The  dents  when  spread  readily 
spring  back  to  their  place,  and  the  dents  being 
beveled  are  a  great  help  to  the  warp.  I  regard 
it  as  an  invaluable  improvement  over  the  old 
style  reeds. 

Reeding  the  warp. — We  will  now  turn  our 
attention  to  reeding  the  warp.  To  make  calcu- 
lations for  reeds,  determine  the  threads  in  a 
dent  and  the  width  you  want  to  make  it : 

Example. — 3600  threads  in  warp,  4  threads  in 
dent,  must  be  72  inches  wide.  What  is  the  reed  ? 

4)3600 
72)  900(12^ 
72 
1 80 
144 
36 
reeds  is  what  you  want. 

81 


Another  case:  5600  threads,  6  in  dent,  14 
reed.  This  will  give  the  width  : 

Example:   14  reed 

6  in  dent 

threads  per  inch  "84)5600(66^ 
504 
560 
504 

56 

Finding  the  width. — To  obtain  the  width, 
the  threads  and  reed  being  known  and  the  reed- 
ing being  irregular,  the  only  thing  to  do  is  to 
get  the  average,  as  near  as  possible,  of  the  num- 
ber of  threads  per  dent. 

Example :  5408  threads,  1 5  ^  reed  reeded 
5 — 4 — 4 — 4 — 5.  There  are  6  dents  in  this  reed 
pattern,  and  the  number  of  threads  contained  in 
those  6  dents  you  will  see  is  26.  Dividing  by 
the  number  of  dents  will  show  that  there  are  4^ 
threads  in  each  dent.  Now  multiply  the  reed, 
15^  by  the  dents  per  inch  as  in  an  ordinary 
case;  15^x41/3  gives  us  68^  threads,  divide 
the  threads  in  the  warp  by  68^,  and  we  have 
79  X  inches  nearly. 

There  are  rules  given  which  will  work  in  cer- 
tain cases,  but  you  can  see  your  way  clear  by 
this  method,  and  if  you  invent  your  own  special 
rules  you  will  be  more  apt  to  remember  them. 
The  principle  which  is  here  given  is  very  plain. 

82 


Measuring. — The  drawer-in,  having  been 
given  the  width  which  the  warp  is  to  be  reeded, 
should  measure  off  accurately  so  as  to  get  the 
warp  in  the  center  of  the  reed.  If  a  mistake  in 
measuring  is  made  the  fixer  has  not  room  on 
the  ends  of  the  reed  to  slide  it,  so  as  to  bring 
the  warp  in  the  center ;  and  to  accomplish  this 
the  reed  is  cut  off  at  one  end.  It  certainly 
should  never  be  done.  Why  spoil  a  reed  to  get 
around  a  mistake  temporarily?  If  the  warp 
cannot  be  brought  in  the  right  place  in  the  loom, 
it  is  far  better  to  reed  it  over  again.  There  is 
little  excuse  for  having  a  warp  reeded  so  far  out 
of  the  way,  however,  and  it  does  not  often  occur. 

Lease-rods. — The  lease-rods  should  always 
be  left  in,  even  though  the  selvage  may  be  drawn 
in  on  the  regular  harness.  You  cannot  tell 
when  you  may  need  them. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

WARP-MATTERS. 

LIFTING  IN  THE  WARP — HOOKING  UP  THE  HARNESS — DRAWING 
IN  THE  SELVAGES — THE  BEAM-FRICTION — DIFFICULTIES 
WITH  BEAMS — TYING  IN  THE  WARP— FASTENING  THE  REED 
— HAN1.LING  THE  CHAIN — PUTTING  ON  THE  LINKS — POINTS 
ABOUT  LINKS — BUILDING  FILLING  CHAIN — PINS  OF  THE  BARS 
—SIZE  OF  THE  SHED— EXAMINING  THE  HARNESS. 

Avoiding  damage. — In  starting  the  warp,  a 
great  many  of  the  damages  to  the  goods,  that 
are  caused  by  some  part  of  the  loom  not  being 
properly  adjusted,  can  be  prevented  by  making 
sure  trut  each  part  is  in  proper  order.  There  is 
no  weave-room  but  that  has  mistakes  made  in  it 
every  day,  and  always  will  have;  but  there  are 
lots  of  these  mistakes  that  begin  when  the  warp 
began,  and  we  can  keep  them  down  by  keeping 
a  sharp  look  out  in  starting  the  warp. 

Lifting  in  the  warp. — To  hold  the  harness 
up  when  we  lift  the  warp  in  we  need  a  stick  or 
rest.  I  have  seen  a  hook  hung  over  the  top  of 
the  frame  of  the  loom,  but  I  do  not  think  it  as 
good  as  the  rests  made  of  wood.  They  should 
be  hollowed  on  the  under  side  to  make  them 
light,  and  should  be  high  enough  to  hold  the 

84 


harness  within  one  inch  of  the  height  they  should 
be  when  hooked  up.  This  leaves  the  bottom 
wire  slack  enough  for  you  to  hook  on  before 
hooking  the  top,  which  you  will  do  on  all  looms 
excepting  the  pump-motion. 

Hooking  up  the  harness. — If  they  are 
hooked  on  top  first,  the  straps  on  the  bottom  are 
too  tight  to  permit  of  the  wires  being  hooked, 
unless  you  let  the  harness  down.  In  hooking  up 
the  harness,  be  sure  that  the  head-motion  is 
closed.  You  can  then  level  up  the  harness  which 
should  be  carefully  done. 

Drawing  in  the  selvages. — After  we  have 
the  harness  hung,  we  will  draw  in  the  selvage. 
The  straps  and  heddles  usually  employed  are 
none  too  good.  In  very  many  cases  they  are 
utterly  unfit  for  the  purpose.  The  idea  is  quite 
prevalent  that  anything  will  do  for  the  selvage. 
It  will  strike  some  people,  after  a  while,  that  the 
selvage  is  a  very  important  part  of  the  cloth.  It 
is  a  common  thing  for  most  of  the  selvage  threads 
to  be  thrown  back  in  the  weaving,  and  they  are 
never  put  in  again  during  the  whole  warp.  Some- 
times they  cannot  be  put  in  for  want  of  heddles. 
One  strap  may  contain  six  or  eight  heddles,  and 
the  other  side  two.  Sometimes  eight  or  more 
double  threads  may  be  drawn  all  right  on  one 
strap ;  while  on  the  other,  for  want  of  heddles, 
four  or  six  are  put  in  each  heddle. 

85 


In  some  mills  the  character  of  the  selvage  is 
kept  uniform  on  all  of  the  goods.  It  is  dressed 
in  three  colors,  four  threads  of  each.  This  gives 
a  neat  appearance  to  the  goods,  and  rightly  gives 
the  impression  that  everything  pertaining  to 
them  receives  the  utmost  care. 

A  good  selvage  also  protects  the  warp  in 
weaving.  It  enables  the  temples,  or  temple- 
hooks,  to  get  hold  of  something  that  can  stand 
the  strain  put  upon  them.  It  should  be  of 
uniform  width  on  every  piece  woven — one  inch 
in  width  at  least. 

The  beam  friction,— Having  drawn  in  the 
selvage  we  next  put  on  the  beam  friction.  A 
good  substantial  friction  should  be  used,  and  care 
should  be  taken  in  its  construction.  Uneven 
cloth  causes  more  damage  than  any  other  fault 
in  weaving ;  and  it  is  being  produced  every  day 
in  any  weave-room.  The  trouble  resulting  from 
it  is  incalculable.  In  most  cases  uneven  weaving 
is  almost  imperceptible.  It  is  not  always  detected 
even  on  the  perch,  but  in  the  finishing-room  it 
begins  to  show  up  in  the  shape  of  shaded  goods, 
cockles  and  the  like.  It  confuses  the  finisher, 
and  sometimes  makes  a  bad  matter  worse;  so 
we  cannot  be  too  careful  about  everything  con- 
nected with  the  beam. 

Ordinarily  a  heading  is  tied  around  the  beam- 
head.  It  is  a  good  thing,  and  if  nothing  else  is 

86 


used  it   should  always  be  put  on.     There  are 
other  things  that  can  be  used  also. 

Difficulties  with  beams. — The  chief  trou- 
ble with  beams  letting  off  unevenly  may  be  found 
in  the  way  the  chair  holds  them.  It  can  easily 
be  moved,  and  if  it  slips  one  way  or  the  other,  to 
cause  the  shafts  to  bind  against  the  frame  of  the 
loom  it  will  not  let  off  easy.  The  chair  should 
have  a  solid  foundation  ;  not  an  uneven  packing 
of  leather,  but  something  on  which  it  can  rest 
square  and  solid.  It  should  be  bolted  very  tight, 
so  that  the  weights  do  not  pull  it  over  and  thus 
cause  the  shafts  to  bind. 

Unless  the  work  is  extremely  heavy,  I  should 
always  set  the  chairs  so  that  the  shafts  of  the 
beam  can  be  seen  to  have  room  to  spring  to  and 
fro  as  the  pick  is  beat  in.  It  may  be  just  per- 
ceptible but  it  will  answer  the  purpose.  If  the 
shafts  are  fight  the  beam  binds.  On  very  light 
work  the  beam,  if  resting  on  the  chairs,  will  take 
so  little  weight  as  to  be  hard,  or  may  be,  impos- 
sible, to  regulate.  In  that  case  provide  blocks  to 
rest  on  the  girth,  and  long  enough  for  the  beam 
shafts  to  rest  on  them,  and  be  held  off  the 
chair. 

Putting  leather  in  the  bearing  for  the  beam 
on  the  frame  of  the  loom  will  lift  it  up;  but 
blocks  are  better,  for  they  do  not  hold  the  shafts 
so  rigid,  but  allow  them  to  work  back  and  forth ; 

87 


and  this  action  seems  to  let  the  beam-head  work 
around,  and  not  slip  by  jerks. 

Width  of  band. — The  band  should  not  be 
too  wide.  They  are  often  made  wide  to  give  them 
strength ;  but  sometimes  this  goes  too  far,  and 
they  are  made  so  wide  that  they  bind  on  the 
sides  of  the  groove.  If  cloth  is  not  tied  around 
the  head,  it  is  equally  good,  and  in  some  cases 
better,  to  let  the  head  rest  on  the  bare  chair  and 
then  put  a  clean  thrum  under  the  band.  This 
the  weaver  should  change  at  the  beginning  of 
each  cut.  This  will  insure  against  having  the 
beam  running  with  a  glazed  friction.  It  looks 
like  a  good  deal  of  work,  but  I  can  assure  the 
reader  that  it  is  a  profitable  thing  to  do,  both  for 
the  sake  of  the  uniformity  of  the  weaving  and  for 
the  help  it  gives  the  warp,  if  a  tender  one,  by  let- 
ting off  so  much  easier,  and  uniformly  each 
pick. 

Tying  in  the  warp,— In  tying  in  the  warp 
the  ends  should  be  combed  and  well  straightened 
before  tying.  If  a  thread  here  and  there  is  slack, 
you  are  not  sure  of  them  all  showing  up  when 
you  look  the  harness  over.  Sometimes  a  wrong 
draw  may  be  missed  in  consequence  and  you  can- 
not afford  to  take  any  chances  in  this  work. 

Care  in  tying  in  the  warp  is  time  saved,  for 
many  threads  may  be  broken  out  at  the  start  by 
the  shuttles  if  the  shed  does  not  open  out  free. 

88 


Fastening  the  reed.— In  fastening  the  reed, 
measure  each  side  so  that  you  are  sure  to  get  the 
yarn  in  the  center.  The  blind  nuts  in  the  slat  that 
fastens  the  reed  are,  in  many  cases,  spoiled,  and  a 
nut  is  placed  on  the  outside.  Each  time  the  reed 
is  taken  out  these  have  to  be  laid  on  the  breast 
beam  while  the  process  of  tying  in,  etc.,  is  being 
gone  through  with.  When  you  want  them  you 
may  find  them  where  you  put  them,  or  you  may 
find  them  under  the  loom, — a  great  annoyance 
always.  Now,  why  not  take  the  slat  out  and  get 
the  nuts  fixed  and  put  where  they  belong ;  it  is 
such  neglect  as  this,  in  all  the  simple  things  about 
a  loom,  that  runs  a  section  down  and  keeps  the 
fixer  on  the  go  from  morning  until  night. 

The  reed  should  not  be  screwed  perfectly 
tight  with  the  slat  before  the  cap  is  put  on.  It 
does  not  allow  it  to  adjust  itself  and  the  cap  when 
put  on  may  spring  the  reed.  The  cap  should 
never  be  pounded  hard.  This  bends  the  dents  of 
the  reed  and  is  a  damage  to  it. 

Handling  the  chain. — We  now  have  the 
warp  ready  fot  the  weaving.  Let  us  look  at  the 
chain.  On  old  chain,  to  make  perfectly  sure  that 
there  is  no  danger  of  mispicks  being  caused  by 
it,  it  is  best  to  turn  it  by  hand  all  the  way  around 
and  look  at  and  feel  each  bar  to  see  if  it  is  possi- 
ble for  the  risers  to  slide  one  way  far  enough  for 
a  jack  to  slip  off.  Do  not  tie  up  a  chain  at  ran- 

89 


dom  and  let  it  go.  If  you  tie  string  between  the 
sinkers  on  a  chain  of  16  harness,  you  do  it  on  the 
part  nearest  the  back  of  it,  so  that  there  are  16  or 
18  spaces,  each  of  them  worn  slightly  on  the 
ends  that  come  together.  Being  crowded  tight, 
it  makes  them  worse  than  they  would  be  if  the 
bar  were  not  tied  at  all.  If  you  tie  your  chain  so 
that  the  ball  nearest  the  string  comes  under  the 
jack-finger,  or  if  the  jacks  are  moved  to  one  side 
to  make  them  come  over  a  chain  so  tied,  either 
one  side  or  the  other  will  not  come  right.  It  will 
take  some  manoeuvring  to  make  them  come 
right. 

The  loom  should  not  be  started  until  the  chain 
is  fixed  so  that  it  is  impossible  for  a  jack  to  slip 
off  the  balls. 

Putting  on  the  links. — The  links  of  the  chain 
should  be  put  on  all  alike.  A  chain  is  always 
liable  to  make  mispicks  if  the  links  are  not  put  on 
right.  The  link  can  catch  on  the  end  o(  the  cyl- 
inder and  drop  again,  just  as  the  shed  opens,  so 
you  cannot  see  what  caused  the  mispicks.  If  you 
are  troubled  by  having  mispicks  occur  once  in  a 
while,  but  not  often  enough  to  enable  you  to 
watch  the  loom  and  see  what  did  it,  just  try 
the  plan  of  doing  the  following  simple  things  in 
a  thorough  manner  and  you  will  not  be  troubled 
so  much. 

Points  about  links.— Links  should  be  put 
90 


on  the  chain  so  that  the  outside  link  on  one  side 
of  the  chain  is  opposite  the  outside  one  on  the 
other,  the  inside  link  opposite  an  inside  one.  This 
causes  the  chain  to  hang  plumb  and  keeps  it 
straight  while  passing  over  the  cylinder.  An- 
other way  of  putting  links  on  is  to  let  them  over- 
lap each  other  like  shingles  on  a  roof.  The  end 
of  the  link  pointing  towards  the  cylinder  should 
be  the  outside  end  and  the  other  end  of  the  same 
link  coming  on  the  inside  of  the  next  one  pre- 
cludes the  possibility  of  the  end  of  the  link  catch- 
ing in  the  groove  on  the  cylinder.  This  way.  of 
putting  them  on  shortens  them  slightly  and  is 
not  so  well  on  new  cylinders.  Whatever  way  is 
employed,  be  sure  to  keep  both  sides  alike  and 
directly  opposite  each  other. 

Building  filling  chain. — In  building  the 
filling  chain  the  same  care  in  regard  to  the  links 
is  necessary.  Trouble  with  pattern  changing  can 
be  averted  in  one-half  of  the  cases,  if  the  chain  is 
built  right.  On  reverse-motion,  the  reverse- 
balls  should  be  callipered.  They  have  to  be  ex- 
actly alike  for  reverse  and  you  may  as  well  take 
a  little  trouble  here,  as  to  spend  your  time  fixing 
the  loom. 

The  pins  of  the  bars. — The  pins  for  the  bars 
are  another  place  where  work  is  often  slighted. 
They  should  be  of  uniform  length  and  not  too 
large.  If  a  pin  feels  as  if  it  is  nearly  broken 

91 


when  you  bend  them  to  make  them  stay  in,  take 
it  out.  A  chain  coming  apart  while  running  is 
likely  to  do  a  great  deal  of  damage. 

The  size  of  the  shed.— We  are  now  ready  to 
weave  the  heading  in,  and  while  doing  so  let  us 
regulate  the  size  of  the  shed,  and  also  its  height. 
Do  not  make  the  shed  too  large.  It  is  common 
for  fixers  to  run  with  the  shed  opening  the  full 
width  of  the  reed.  The  aim  of  a  good  fixer  is  to 
make  the  loom  run  without  making  it  too  large. 
If  the  shuttles  do  not  run  straight  a  large  shed 
will  not  help  them.  You  are  only  trying  to  get 
the  yarn  out  of  the  way  of  the  shuttle,  instead  of 
keeping  the  shuttle  where  it  belongs.  Try  your 
shed  in  various  ways  to  make  sure  you  have 
everything  right  about  it.  Be  very  careful  not 
to  let  it  bottom  too  hard.  It  should  just  clear 
the  race-board  when  the  shed  is  opened  full 
width.  The  harness  should  be  leveled  so  that 
when  the  shed  is  opened  the  top-threads  of  it  are 
even.  If  one  harness  is  permitted  to  work  lower 
than  others,  the  shuttle  will  occasionally  slip  over 
a  thread.  This  can  be  avoided  by  keeping  them  even. 

On  warps  with  a  backing  on  them,  you  some- 
times have  to  lower  some  of  the  backing  harness 
to  get  them  down  on  the  back-pick.  In  such  a 
case,  you  cannot  help  having  that  harness  lower 
when  it  is  raised,  but  it  will  not  matter  so  much 
on  a  backing  harness. 

92 


If  you  have  difficulty  in  getting  the  harness 
low  enough,  you  can  help  it  by  making  the  un- 
derneath connections  extra  tight.  Do  not  leave 
the  loom  until  you  are  sure  that  the  harness  is 
working  so  that  it  makes  a  good  shed.  It  may 
be  working  right  while  you  are  watching  it,  and 
after  a  time  the  connections  get  slacker,  or  may 
be  the  warp  does  not  run  as  tight  on  the  selvages 
as  it  did  while  you  were  at  the  loom,  and  if  any 
of  these  things  happen  you  may  have  a  cut  full  of 
harness-skips  on  the  back.  So,  to  be  on  the  safe 
side,  see  to  it  that  you  have  a  shed  adjusted  in 
such  a  way  as  to  meet  any  contingency  that  may 
arise. 

Examining  the  harness. — We  now  have  to 

raise  the  harness  one  by  one,  to  look  them  over. 
Inasmuch  as  this  operation  is  the  only  safe  one 
that  we  can  have  to  make  sure  that  there  are  no 
wrong  draws  in  the  warp,  it  is  important  that  it 
be  very  carefully  done.  A  few  minute's  time  is 
of  little  consequence  compared  with  the  time  it 
will  take  to  fix  a  wrong  draw  if  one  is  passed. 
The  safest  way  is  to  have  a  white  rod  to  put  un- 
der the  threads  of  each  harness  as  they  are  lifted. 
The  run  of  the  pattern  should  be  followed  the 
entire  length  of  each  harness;  and  do  not  trust 
to  the  eye  too  much. 

On  some  harness  the  pattern  may  come  up 
with  a  colored  thread  at  regular  intervals  among 


black.  In  such  a  case,  should  a  colored  thread 
be  left  out  and  a  black  one  come  up  in  its  place, 
or  the  colored  threads  come  too  close  together, 
the  eye  can  readily  detect  the  difference;  but 
where  there  is  a  pattern  on  each  harness,  there  is 
no  safe  way  but  to  count  the  patterns  over  as  you 
go  along.  On  mixes  it  is  sometimes  very  diffi- 
cult to  decide  which  is  the  right  thread;  but 
there  is  no  other  way  than  to  examine  closely. 
It  is  sometimes  necessary  to  use  a  glass.  On  silk 
and  black,  double  and  twist,  if  the  silk  is  very 
fine,  the  only  way  to  look  them  over  is  to  take 
each  thread  and  untwist  it.  This  may  require 
hours  to  do,  but  you  cannot  get  out  of  it.  It  will 
not  do  to  risk  anything  on  such  goods. 

It  is  also  a  good  plan  to  weave  a  piece  and 
then  to  make  another  heading.  The  piece  need 
not  be  more  than  three  inches  long;  and  when 
the  lap  is  woven  down,  take  the  piece  and  have 
it  scoured.  When  dry,  wrong  draws  will  usually 
show  up  plain  enough  to  be  seen.  None  of  these 
precautions  should  be  neglected  upon  any  account. 


94 


CHAPTER  VIII 

SHUTTLES,   TEMPLES  AND   BELTS. 

GOOD  AND  BAD  SHUTTLES— SHELLACING  SHUTTLES— POINTS ' 
OF  SHUTTLES  MEETING  IN  THE  SHED — INJURY  DONE  BY 
SHUTTLES— TEMPLES — THE  USE  OF  HOOKS— STRAPS— THE 
DUTCHER  AND  OTHER  TEMPLES— SETTING  THE  TEMPLE- 
METHOD  OF  PUTTING  ON  TEMPLES — THE  BELT  ON  THE 
LOOM — OILING  THE  BELT— PUTTING  ON  THE  BELT— LACING 
— BELT-SLI PPING. 

Good  and  bad  shuttles.— In  starting  the  pat- 
tern, before  putting  in  the  shuttles,  we  may  as  well 
look  them  over  and  see  if  they  are  in  good  condi- 
tion. I  do  not  think  it  an  exaggeration  to  say  that 
fully  one  half  of  the  shuttles  in  use  are  unfit  for  the 
purpose;  and  in  most  cases  their  condition  is  due 
to  neglect.  We  find  them  worn  flat  on  the  tops 
and  sides.  If  anyone  says  that  this  cannot  be 
helped,  I  would  ask  him  why  it  is  that  on  some 
looms,  and  with  some  weavers,  shuttles  seem  to 
be  in  good  condition  after  running  nearly  "two 
years  ?  That  such  is  a  fact  no  fixer  will  deny. 
It  depends  on  the  cafe  they  get.  A  set  of  new 
shuttles  can  be  ruined  in  weaving  out  one  warp( 
either  by  the  shuttle  striking  the  top  of  the  box 

95 


as  it  enters,  .or  by  striking  the  side.  If  the  shut- 
tle is  worn  flat,  even  if  it  be  made  smooth  after- 
ward, it  will  chafe  the  warp  much  more  than  if 
kept  rounding. 

Shellacing  shuttles. — If  the  loom  is  break- 
ing the  shellac  on  the  shuttles,  it  should  be 
stopped  at  once.  If  the  shellac  is  worn  off  you 
cannot  afterward  keep  the  wood  smooth.  Shellac 
should  always  be  kept  on  hand,  and  whenever  it 
is  necessary  to  sand-paper  the  shuttles  they  should 
be  covered  with  a  coat  before  being  used. 
Weavers  should  not  be  permitted  to  sand-paper 
their  shuttles.  It  is  only  wearing  them  out.  The  . 
right  way  to  keep  them  smooth  is  to  shellac 
them.  In  shellacing  shuttles,  remember  that  if 
they  are  coated  with  dust,  covering  them  with 
shellac  will  not  remove  the  dust,  but,  instead, 
will  fix  it  on  the  shuttle.  They  must  be  cleaned 
and  left  perfectly  smooth  before  applying  the 
shellac. 

Points  Of  shuttles.— The  points  of  the  shut- 
ties  can  be  ground  so  as  to  feel  smooth,  and  yet 
be  in  a  condition  to  break  out  the  thread  of  the 
warp. 

They  will  do  this  when  the  fixer  can  hardly  be 
made  to  believe  it.  He  tries  the  shuttle  by 
pushing  the  points  through  the  threads,  and  if 
they  slip  off,  all  right';  he  thinks  no  damage  can 
be  done  by  breaking  threads.  The  shuttle  goes 

96 


through  much  faster  than  the  fixer  can  push  it 
through,  and  if  a  thread  comes  in  its  way  the 
shuttle  will  break  it.  To  avoid  all  danger  from 
this,  grind  the  points  so  as  to  keep  them  well 
tapered.  You  will  not  expect  to  do  this  at  one 
grinding,  but  each  time  they  are  ground  the  fixer 
should  keep  this  in  mind  and  maintain  the  shape 
of  the  tip. 

Meeting  in  the  shed. — One  other  effect  of 
blunt  shuttle-tips:  they  sometimes  meet  in  the 
shed.  On  the  1880  loom  this  is  more  frequent 
than  on  others  If  the  tips  are  properly  tapered 
they  cause  both  of  the  shuttles  to  fly  out  of  the 
shed  if  they  meet.  If  the  tips  are  blunt,  they 
catch  one  another  and  have  only  mom-  ntum 
enough  left  to  slide  alongside  of  each  other,  thus 
causing  a  smash. 

The  points  of  new  shuttles  should  be  round- 
ed a  little  before  starting.  The  points  are  too 
sharp  to  use  without  some  grinding.  They 
should  not  be  ground  enough  to  make  them 
blunt,  but  only  to  have  the  sharp  point  taken  off. 
If  this  be  not  done,  they  make  such  a  steep  hole 
in  the  picker  that  the  shuttles  cannot  slip  out  of 
it  when  dropping  from  one  box  to  another  and 
this  may  cause  them  to  meet. 

Injury  done  by  shuttles.— In  an  ordinary 
sized  room  there  are  hundreds  of  threads  broken 
every  day  by  shuttles  not  being  in  proper  con- 

97 


dition.  The  threads  thus  broken  are  bad  to  sew 
in,  as  the  end  is  usually  carried  as  far  as  it  will 
go,  in  the  shed.  Many  of  them  are  missed  by 
both  sewers  and  burlers  and  are  only  seen  when 
the  goods  are  finished.  This,  together  with  the 
trouble  a  poor  set  of  shuttles  gives  the  fixer, 
would  seem  to  show  that  it  is  a  thing  of  great 
importance. 

Temples. — Time  was  when  anything  would 
do  for  a  hook  to  hold  the  cloth  out  at  the  selv- 
ges.  The  contrivances  used  for  this  purpose  when 
viewed  in  the  light  of  present  requirements,  are 
varied  and  interesting.  We  can  remember  some 
first-class  weave-rooms  where  apiece  of  wire,  bent 
so  as  to  form  two  hooks,  was  used.  Some  of 
them  were  so  bent  that  the  weight  came  entirely 
on  one  hook.  A  torn  and  ragged  selvage  is  the 
result  of  using  such  hooks.  Nor  is  this  all; 
the  cloth  should  be  held  out  as  near  the  full 
width  as  possible.  The  warp  cannot  weave  well 
if  the  sides  are  being  worn  by  the  reed.  It  also 
makes  the  goods  imperfect.  Anything  that 
serves  to  rough  up  the  yarn  should  be  fixed  at 
once,  for  it  makes  a  bad  imperfection  on  some 
goods. 

On  some  kinds  of  goods  a  temple  cannot  be 
successfully  used,  or  at  least  the  old  style  Butch- 
er temple  cannot.  The  number  of  cases  where 
a  temple  will  not  run  is  not  so  many  as  fixers 


suppose.     It  depends  on  how  they  are  set  and 
also  on  the  judgment  of  the  weaver. 

The  use  of  hooks.— We  will  suppose  you 
are  using  hooks.  They  should  be  made  with  at 
least  four  hooks  in  each  strap.  To  put  the 
hooks  in  the  leather  as  it  can  and  should  be  done, 
is  a  very  nice  operation,  and  it  requires  not  a  lit- 
tle skill  and  patience  to  perform  it.  The  hook 
should  be  made  before  you  put  it  in  the  strap. 
One  way  of  making  a  hook  is  to  take  a  coarse 
file  and  rasp  off  the  iron  until  it  has  somewhat  of 
a  taper.  It  is  most  likely  to  have  a  taper  with 
three  sides  to  it,  like  the  point  of  a  three-cornered 
file.  If  there  are  corners  in  the  hook,  where  it  is 
turned,  they  will  surely  tear  the  selvage  so  that 
they  have  to  be  avoided  if  you  want  to  have  the 
thing  right. 

The  proper  way  is  to  finish  tapering  the  wire 
with  a  smooth  file  and  be  careful  to  leave  the 
wire  round  when  you  are  done  filing.  The  point 
should  not  be  too  slender.  It  can  be  made  sharp 
enough  to  go  in  the  selvage  all  right  without 
weakening  the  point. 

Before  bending  the  hooks  each  one  of  them 
should  be  ground,  not  entirely  for  the  purpose  of 
sharpening  them  but  to  make  the  wire  smooth,  so 
that  the  inside  of  the  hook  will  be  smooth  when 
bent.  It  is  best  to  bend  them  with  an  old  pair  of 
round-nose  plyers  so  as  not  to  scratch  the  the  wire. 

99 


Do  not  bend  the  hook  so  that  the  inside  is  N 
shaped.  It  is  not  fit  for  the  purpose  if  so  bent. 
It  must  be  rounded  nicely.  The  hooks  should 
be  put  in  the  leather  so  that  each  one  may  be 
tight  enough  to  be  prevented  from  turning.  The 
ends  of  the  wire,  if  care  be  used,  can  be  made  to 
sink  into  the  leather  and  not  feel  disagreeable  to 
the  weaver.  Make  each  hook  so  that  they  come 
of  even  lengths.  Of  course  you  will  taper  them 
so  as  to  give  the  proper  slant  to  the  strap ;  but 
the  hooks  should  all  take  hold  when  hooked  in 
the  cloth.  If  properly  made  a  hook  will  bear 
twice  the  weight  without  tearing  the  cloth  that 
they  otherwise  would. 

Straps. — Rollers  to  bear  up  the  straps  should 
always  be  used.  The  strap  should  never  be  put 
over  the  corner  of  the  breast  beam.  The  hooks 
pull  directly  from  the  reed  and  each  time  they 
are  hooked  up  they  make  a  thin  place  in  the 
goods.  In  former  times,  when  attention  was 
called  to  this,  the  excuse  would  be  offered  that 
the  temple  hooks  caused  it,  and  it  was  supposed 
to  be  something  that  could  not  be  helped.  It  has 
got  to  be  helped  now. 

On  goods  that  draw  in  very  hard,  two  hooks 
on  each  side  are  necessary.  It  is  a  great  deal 
better  to  use  two  hooks  than  it  is  to  overload 
one  in  attempting  to  hold  the  cloth  out,  for  the 
weight  comes  in  one  place  and  will  make  thin 


places  in  goods  that  are  very  heavy.  In  using 
two  straps,  provide  rollers  for  each  one  of  them. 
In  place  of  having  weights  on  each  strap,  it  is 
better  to  use  a  spring  on  one  of  them. 

The  Butcher  temple. — On  most  of  the  work 
a  Dutcher  temple  will  run  very  well,  and  it  is 
superior  to  hooks.  There  is  no  shading  of  the 
goods  as  with  the  hooks.  One  reason  why 
temples  do  not  meet  with  much  favor  in  some 
mills  is  because  the  fixer  is  not  obliged  to  use 
them,  and  consequently  if  one  is  put  on  and  it 
does  not  run  without  much  trouble,  he  takes  it 
off  and  throws  it  aside  where  it  may  get  rusty 
and  unfit  for  use.  It  was  the  same  way  with  the 
Tucker  Stop-motion  when  they  were  put  in  differ- 
ent mills  for  trial.  If  they  gave  any  trouble  they 
were  laid  in  the  window,  and  the  fixers  never 
tried  to  master  them  until  the  time  came  when 
they  had  to.  So  it  is  with  the  temple.  If  the 
fixer  is  obliged  to  make  them  run  he  can  gener- 
ally find  a  way  to  overcome  the  difficulties  that 
come  in  his  way.  A  weaver  should  be  taught 
how  to  handle  them;  a  great  deal  of  it  rests  with 
them.  Some  weavers  get  along  all  right  with  a 
temple,  while  others  cannot  start  up  again  after 
having  a  pick-out. 

Setting  the  temple. — The  temple  should  be 
set  so  that  the  end  of  it  stands  within  ^  of  an 
inch  from  the  edge  of  the  warp  threads.  If  it  is 


too  near  the  end  of  the  cloth,  it  is  apt  to  tear  the 
fabric.  When  you  draw  the  lathe  up,  the  catch 
should  be  set  so  as  keep  the  end  of  the  temple  ^ 
of  an  inch  from  the  reed.  Some  set  them  so  that 
the  temple  is  y2  or  even  ^  of  an  inch  from  the 
reed.  The  effect  of  this  is  to  let  the  cloth  begin 
to  slip  out  before  the  temple  can  get  back  to  hold 
it.  The  head  of  the  temple  should  be  set  only 
high  enough  to  clear  the  race-board.  It  should 
also  point  downward  towards  the  reed. 

On  a  breast-beam  that  has  been  battered  up  by 
the  points  of  shuttles  and  the  like,  you  find  it 
difficult  to  get  a  solid  bearing  for  the  stand.  If 
packing  is  employed,  it  is  sometimes  put  in  so 
that  the  temple  points  upward,  and  the  head  of  it 
may  only  just  clear  the  race-board,  yet  the  slant 
of  the  temple  being  just  opposite  to  that  of  the 
race,  when  the  lathe  comes  up  far  enough  to  beat 
in  the  pick,  the  head  of  the  temple  may  be  ^ 
an  inch  from  the  race. 

These  things  should  not  be,  as  the  trouble 
with  any  temple  is  that  it  holds  the  cloth  too 
high.  Fasten  the  stand  firmly  on  the  frame.  It 
will  not  do  to  have  the  temple  rocking  to  and  fro. 
I  think  it  would  be  an  improvement  if  the  stand 
or  bracket  that  supports  the  temple  extended 
down  so  that  a  lag-screw  could  be  put  through 
the  casting  on  the  inside  of  the  breast-beam. 

Method  of  putting  on  temples.— I  once  had 


to  put  temples  on  a  lot  of  new  looms,  and  not 
liking  to  drill  holes  through  the  plate  on  the 
breast-beam  I  got  a  thin  piece  of  wood  fastened 
to  the  regular  iron  bracket,  taking  care  to  give  it 
the  right  pitch  both  downward  and  outward. 
The  part  of  the  pattern  that  was  to  come  on  the 
inside  of  the  breast-beam  was  12  inches  long,  and 
had  a  slot  \ol/2  inches.  From  this  I  got  my 
brackets  cast,  and  I  found  them  a  great  con- 
venience. The  temple  was  held  in  just  the  right 
place,  and,  of  course,  it  could  never  slip.  One 
lag-screw  was  all  that  was  required,  and  the  slot 
enabled  me  to  move  the  temple  in  a  few  seconds. 

Other  temples. — There  are  other  temples 
than  that  old  standard,  the  Butcher.  So  far  as 
holding  out  the  cloth  is  concerned  the  English 
temple  is  a  good  one.  It  has,  in  place  of  the  old- 
style  burr  or  roller,  a  series  of  brass  rings 
spiral  shaped.  It  also  reaches  farther  into  the 
cloth,  and  having  more  hold,  retains  the  cloth  in 
the  temple.  There  are  objections  to  it,  among 
which  I  might  note  that  the  absence  of  any  kind 
of  spring  on  the  temple  makes  it  rather  danger- 
ous to  use,  for  should  the  shuttle  stop  in  the 
shed,  and  opposite  the  temple,  it  will  very  likely 
break  the  latter.  It  certainly  will  if  the  loom  fails 
to  protect.  Still,  this  temple  did  more  to  supply 
a  long  felt  want  than  anything  else  in  the  field 
for  a  few  years. 

103 


The  Hardaker  temple,  on  the  same  principle 
as  the  English  temple,  but  improved  in  the  bear- 
ings and  stands  gives  us  an  article  of  real  merit. 
As  with  the  English  temple  the  cloth  is  held  out 
well,  and  there  is  very  little  danger  of  the  shuttle 
catching  it  and  breaking  it. 

I  do  not  think  there  are  any  kinds  of  goods 
that  this  temple  will  not  hold;  and  if  the  rolls 
are  kept  in  order  there  will  be  no  danger  of  the 
warp-threads  in  the  cloth  being  cut  by  the  pins. 

There  are  other  temples  in  use,  but  I  have 
mentioned  the  principal  ones,  and  perhaps  the 
most  popular.  Temples  are  growing  in  favor, 
because  they  are  becoming  a  necessity,  and  the 
overseer  will  do  well  to  look  into  the  merits  of 
anything  that  comes  along  in  the  shape  of  a 
temple.  Not  only  do  they  prevent  shading  of 
the  goods,  but  anything  that  is  in  any  way  likely 
to  wear  up  and  go  bad  on  the  sides  of  the  warp 
may  be  given  the  same  chance  as  the  middle. 

The  belt  on  the  loom. — The  belt  on  the 
loom  is  about  as  little  understood  as  anything 
can  well  be,  while  nothing  can  be  of  more  import- 
ance. Many  fixers  never  go  farther  than  to 
notice  that  a  certain  loom  which  has  been  run- 
ning for  some  time  all  right,  and  which  is  notice- 
able for  the  smooth  and  easy  pick  it  had  with 
the  belt  moderately  tight,  suddenly  gets  into 
such  a  condition  that  it  will  not  go  at  all.  Every- 

104 


thing  seems  the  same,  and  is  the  same,  yet  the 
shuttle  will  not  go  across.  The  lug-strap  is 
lowered,  and  yet  it  will  not  pick.  Then  the  belt 
is  tightened,  and  if  enough  is  taken  out  the  loom 
then  picks  all  right ;  but  the  weaver  can  hardly 
start  the  loom  up  on  account  of  the  tight  belt. 

Instead  of  having  to  upset  everything  to  make 
the  loom  run  as  it  has  run  for  some  time,  the 
belt  should  have  been  cared  for  in  time. 
Whether  you  can  see  it  or  not,  the  reason  for 
the  loom  making  such  a  sudden  change  is  that 
the  condition  of  the  belt  is  different,  and  once  it 
begins  to  slip  it  gets  roughed  up  and  is  made 
worse.  Some  looms  run  right  along  with  the 
belt  very  slack,  and  if  it  is  so,  the  weaver  can 
handle  the  loom  easily.  It  ships  easily,  and  is  an 
immense  advantage  to  the  weaver.  Other  looms 
cannot  be  made  to  run  in  that  way.  The  prime 
cause  is  the  belt.  Of  course,  other  things  have 
been  altered  in  an  endeavor  to  make  the  loom 
run  better,  but  the  belt  should  first  be  attended 
to.  It  is  not  as  easy  a  matter  to  get  a  belt  in 
proper  condition  when  once  it  is  out,  as  it  is  to 
keep  it  right  when  you  have  it  right. 

Oiling  the  belt. — Belts  need  oiling  often 
enough  to  keep  them  pliable.  On  the  pliable- 
ness  of  a  belt  depends  its  adhesiveness.  There 
is  a  mistaken  idea  that  a  rough  surface  will  hold 
on  the  pulley  better  than  a  smooth  surface. 

105 


Perhaps  this  is  why  a  belt  is  sometimes  scraped. 
If  a  composition  of  gum,  dirt  and  flyings  has 
accumulated  on  the  belt  the  only  thing  to  be 
done  is  to  scrape  it  off;  but  scraping  for  any 
other  purpose  is  fruitless.  New  belts  are  put  on 
with  the  flesh  or  smooth  side  to  the  pulley,  for 
the  reason  that  the  smooth  side  allows  more  of 
the  belt  surface  to  touch  the  pulley,  air  is  entirely 
excluded  from  under  the  belt,  and  every  part  of 
it  adheres  to  the  pulley.  If  the  belt  becomes 
dry  the  surface  will  not  as  readily  bend  itself  to 
the  pulley.  The  surface  becomes  coated  with  a 
kind  of  dust,  the  result  of  the  wear  of  the  belt, 
therefore  it  loses  its  adhesiveness,  and  whenever 
a  belt  slips  it  wears  the  surface  uneven.  From 
this  condition  of  things  a  long  train  of  troubles 
can  arise. 

I  do  not  think  there  is  anything  better  for 
keeping  belts  in  good  condition  than  pure  neat's 
foot  oil.  It  answers  the  purpose. 

Putting  on  the  belt.— In  putting  a  belt  on, 
the  butt  of  the  scaff  should  strike  the  pulley  first. 
If  the  point  of  the  scaff  or  joint  strikes  the  pulley 
first,  the  slipping  of  the  belt  will  roll  up  the 
points.  Do  not  slash  off  the  end  of  your  belt  in 
a  hap  hazard  way  when  you  wish  to  cut  it.  A 
tri-square  should  always  be  used  and  the  ends  of 
the  belts  cut  perfectly  square.  Punch  an  odd 
number  of  holes.  On  a  loom-belt  five  holes  are 

106 


needed.  One  single  hole  is  usually  not  enough 
for  the  lace  to  go  through,  unless  you  have  a 
very  large  punch.  If  two  holes  are  punched  into 
one,  they  should  be  made  so  that  the  oblong  hole 
is  lengthwise  of  the  belt.  You  will  then  save  the 
effective  strength  of  the  belt.  This  punching  is 
better  done  with  an  oval  punch. 

Lacing  the  belt. — In  lacing  the  belt  keep  the 
back  or  pulley  side  straight.  Draw  your  lace  so 
that  an  equal  portion  of  the  strain  is  borne  by 
each  hole.  Keep  the  edges  straight. 

In  making  a  proper  job  of  this  belt-sewing,  I 
do  not  think  loom-fixers  need  instructions  in 
sewing  so  much  as  they  need  to  be  impressed 
with  the  importance  of  the  work. 

It  will  not  be  denied  that  the  work  of  mending 
belts  in  the  weave-room  is  often  hastily  done  and 
the  resulting  neglect  is  a  thing  of  great  moment 
where  there  are  so  many  belts  used. 

Belt  slipping, — It  sometimes  happens  that  the 
belt  is  inclined  to  run  to  one  side  of  the  pulley. 
The  loom  may  start  easy  and  be  very  hard  to 
stop,  or  vice  versa.  Of  course,  if  such  is  the 
case,  the  loom-shaft  is  not  parallel  with  the  line- 
shaft.  The  tendency  of  a  belt  is  to  the  high  part 
of  a  pulley  if  the  shafts  are  parallel,  but  there  is 
no  high  side  to  loom  pulleys.  They  are  straight 
across  the  surface,  so  that  if  the  belt  runsstrongly 
to  any  particular  side  that  side  is  nearest  to  the 

107 


line-shaft.  The  belt  will  run  to  the  ends  of  the 
shafts  which  are  nearest  together.  This  being 
known,  if  your  belt  does  not  run  right,  the  weaver 
will  have  more  comfort  if  the  fixer  will  take  a 
little  trouble  and  fix  it  as  it  should  be. 

Running  the  loom. — Our  loom  should  now 
be  in  good  shape  to  start  up  and  weave  the  warp 
out  to  the  best  advantage.  We  have  touched 
upon  everything  that  is  necessary  to  success  and 
if  everything  has  been  properly  and  thoroughly 
done  there  will  be  little  trouble  with  the  loom. 

In  running  the  loom  the  same  principles  must 
be  followed  as  are  laid  down  for  a  proper  over- 
hauling. If  the  loom  gets  an  ugly  pick  through 
the  belt  slipping,  you  cannot  expect  to  keep  it  in 
good  order  by  altering  the  picking-motion. 

In  saying  that  certain  rules  bring  about  cer- 
tain  results,  it  is  taken  for  granted  that  other 
things  are  right,  one  part  of  the  loom  works  con- 
jointly with  others,  and  each  part  must  be  work- 
ing right  to  insure  harmonious  action  of  the  whole. 
The  habit  that  some  fixers  have  of  doing  too 
much  fixing  in  certain  cases,  is  one  of  their  great- 
est troubles.  If  a  loom  in  its  principal  parts  is  in 
good  condition,  and  has  been  running  successfully 
and  then  begins  to  work  badly,  look  out  for  some 
simple  thing  that  has  gone  wrong.  The  whole 
loom  cannot  get  upset  so  suddenly  as  that.  Find 
out  what  it  is  before  touching  anything. 

108 


CHAPTER  IX. 

IN   THE  WEAVE-ROOM. 

DUTIES  AND  RESPONSIBILITIES  OF  OVERSEERS — SUPPLIES  FOR 
THE  WEAVE-ROOM  AND  THEIR  COST — EXAMINATIONS — 
PERCHING  AND  HOW  TO  DO  IT  RIGHT — TICKETING  AND 
MEASURING — SEWING  IN — BOOKS  FOR  THE  WEAVE-ROOM — 
A  GOOD  FORM  SUGGESTED. 

In  the  weave-room. — A  large  volume  might 
be  written  touching  upon  all  the  details  of  loom- 
fixing,  and  the  teachings  of  experience  thus  given 
would  be  a  decided  benefit,  no  doubt,  more  es- 
pecially to  beginners.  There  is,  however,  not 
room  for  the  minutest  details  in  this  little  treatise, 
the  purpose  of  which,  more  than  anything  else, 
is  to  lead  those  who  are  engaged  in  the  weave- 
room,  whether  overseers,  fixers  or  learners,  to 
think  for  themselves.  It  is  a  common  habit  for 
fixers  to  try  to  follow  the  customs  of  others,  in 
the  pursuit  of  their  calling.  I  know  that  begin- 
ners have  been  the  subject  of  ridicule  on  account 
of  their  seemingly  awkward  way  of  doing  things. 
The  reason  they  seemed  awkward  was  because 
they  were  a  little  different  from  others  in  their 
methods.  Now,  I  do  not  think  it  is  necessary  to 

109 


be  well  up  in  the  technical  slang  of  a  class  of 
loom-fixers  in  order  to  meet  with  success.  To 
know  what  you  are  trying  to  do  is  of  paramount 
importance,  and  that  is  all  you  want  of  any  one's 
ideas.  Experience  teaches  you  which  way  is  the 
handiest  to  you  in  doing  your  work  and  that  is 
as  good  as  the  way  of  anyone  else.  Do  not  be 
disturbed  by  those  mysterious  expressions  in- 
dulged in  by  some.  I  remember  a  fixer  who,  in 
extolling  his  merits  as  a  first-class  hand,  ran  over 
a  list  of  the  looms  he  had  worked  on  and  capped 
it  by  saying,  "  I  have  also  worked  on  the  hori- 
zontal ! "  The  manufacturer  to  whom  he  was 
talking,  had  never  heard  of  the  horizontal  harness- 
motion  loom  and  he  thought  he  must  be  an  extra 
good  man. 

The  more  a  man  learns  on  any  subject,  the 
more  he  realizes  his  own  weakness  and  ignor- 
ance;  and  when  a  person  gets  just  far  enough  to 
think  that  he  is  perfect  because  he  has  "  worked  " 
on  this  or  that  loom,  he  is  in  a  pitiable  condi- 
tion. 

Learners  have  been  discouraged  many  a  time 
by  these  persons,  and  I  would  expose  the  sham, 
and  encourage  them  to  brace  up,  and  feel  that 
their  ideas  are  as  good  as  any  one  else's.  If 
they  can  only  reach  that  point  it  would  do 
them  more  good  than  anything  else  they  can 
learn. 


An  intelligent  man  can  fix  on  any  loom,  it 
matters  not  to  him  whether  it  be  a  Knowles,  a 
Crompton,  or  what  not,  it  is  all  the  same  to 
him. 

Responsibility  of  the  overseer.— The  over- 
seer cannot  be  indifferent  to  the  methods  em- 
ployed by  the  fixers  in  doing  their  work.  He  is 
responsible  for  the  condition  of  the  room,  and  it 
is  his  duty  to  himself  and  his  employers  to  see 
to  it  that  due  care  is  used  in  everything  pertain- 
ing to  the  work.  The  fixer  will  not  be  as  likely  to 
appreciate  the  value  of  the  supplies  used  in  the 
weave-room  as  would  the  overseer.  There  is  no 
department  in  the  mill  where  extravagance 
counts  up  as  rapidly  as  in  the  weave-room.  It 
is  due  to  the  fixers  themselves  that  the  head  of 
the  room  should  know  what  is  going  on.  If  one 
fixer  can  run  his  section  more  economically  than 
another,  he  is  entitled  to  credit  for  it,  and  not  to 
be  classed  the  same  as  the  fixer  who  may  be  care- 
less and  extravagant.  Some  fixers  chafe  under 
the  restraint  put  upon  them  by  certain  overseers. 
In  this  they  show  poor  judgment.  They  are 
neither  friendly  to  themselves  nor  to  their  overseer. 
It  is  unreasonable  to  expect  that  the  overseer 
shall  assume  all  the  responsibility  and  leave  the 
work  to  be  done  in  accordance  with  some  one 
else's  ideas.  If  he  values  his  own  interests,  he 
will  assert  his  right  to  have  things  done  as  he 


wants  them,  and  the  fixer  who  cannot  acquiesce, 
does  not  understand  his  place. 

Supplies  for  the  weave-room.— In  the  mat- 
ter of  supplies  for  the  weave-room  the  judgment 
of  overseers  seems  to  differ.  Some  get  nearly 
everything  made  at  home,  and  in  my  opinion 
lose  thereby,  in  most  cases,  as  the  makers  of  sup- 
plies and  repairs  have  better  facilities  for  making 
a  suitable  article  than  home  machine-shops  unless 
there  is  a  shop  connected  with  the  mill  that  is 
equipped  for  doing  all  kinds  of  work.  But  in 
mills  that  depend  on  outside  shops  for  their 
repairs  it  is  cheaper  and  far  more  satisfac- 
tory to  get  the  supplies  at  the  shops  of  the 
makers. 

Take,  for  instance,  the  studs  used  about  the 
loom.  A  picking-stud,  perfect  in  every  wTay,  can 
be  obtained  for  fifteen  cents.  The  same  for  sweep 
and  picking-stick  studs.  No  local  shops  can 
make  them  for  three  times  that  sum.  The  same 
also  may  be  said  of  castings.  Everything  fits 
and  will  give  better  satisfaction,  and  the  room 
may  as  well  be  furnished  with  everything  requi- 
site for  making  repairs  promptly,  as  to  wait  until 
you  have  a  break-down  and  then  pay  as  much 
for  an  article  as  would  furnish  three  such.  The 
costly  and  bungling  plates  frequently  put  on 
broken  castings  should  be  avoided  by  keeping  a 
supply  of  new  repairs  on  hand. 


It  cannot  be  said  that  this  is  extravagant,  as  it 
can  be  easily  shown  that  it  costs  much  more  to 
patch  things  up.  The  place  to  save  is  in  the 
usage  the  parts  are  subjected  to  while  on  the 
loom.  If  the  parts  are  cared  for,  and  the  habit 
of  battering  and  bruising  castings  stopped,  there 
will  be  fewer  repairs  needed,  and  those  should  be 
of  the  best  and  ready  for  use  whenever  needed. 
The  same  may  be  said  of  sweep-straps  and  the 
like.  A  good  article  can  be  obtained  and  they 
will  give  better  results  in  the  long  run  than  by 
using  old  belting,  &c. 

A  supply  of  bolts  should  always  be  kept  on 
hand.  When  one  is  needed  it  is  needed  badly, 
and  the  cost  of  furnishing  the  amount  needed 
from  time  to  time,  if  bought  in  small  quantities, 
would  furnish  a  good  stock  of  all  kinds. 

These  remarks  are  worthy  of  the  careful  atten- 
tion of  every  overseer  of  weaving. 

Examinations. — When  the  rod  is  taken  off 
after  starting  the  warps,  the  laps  should  always 
be  looked  over  by  the  overseer  or  second  hand. 
It  is  desirable  that  some  one  should  do  this  who 
has  an  idea  what  the  goods  should  look  like. 
One  person  should  see  all  the  goods  in  the 
room.  If  all  of  them  are  seen  by  one  person, 
he  can  more  readily  detect  anything  wrong  or 
changed  by  the  comparison  he  is  enabled  to 
make. 

113 


Besides  looking  over  for  wrong  draws,  the 
filling  pattern  should  be  just  as  carefully  noticed. 
It  is  a  very  common  occurrence  for  styles  having 
a  check,  plaid,  or  figure  of  any  kind  to  vary  in 
size  on  different  looms,  of  course  nothing  can  be 
blamed  for  this  but  the  picks,  and  for  this  reason 
some  one  should  notice  this  at  the  start,  and  see 
to  it  that  the  picks  are  in  and  thus  prevent  this 
uneven  weaving  from  the  start.  The  filling  pat- 
tern should  be  picked  over,  and  also  the  harness- 
chain.  This  should,  by  all  means,  be  done  by 
some  one  besides  the  one  who  started  it.  His 
understanding  of  the  draft  may  be  wrong,  and  if 
he  picked  it  over  a  dozen  times  he  would  prob- 
ably read  it  just  the  same.  A  different  person 
would  be  likely  to  see  it  in  a  different  way,  and 
thus  prevent  serious  damages.  None  of  these  pre- 
cautions should  be  omitted  in  any  case. 

Perching. — The  cloth-perching  in  large  mills 
has  to  be  done  by  a  percher,  who  gives  his  entire 
time  to  the  work,  sometimes  requiring  several 
assistants. 

In  moderate  sized  mills  the  overseer  has  to  do 
his  own  perching.  This  works  well  enough  in 
some  cases,  but  it  is  often  overdone.  Manufac- 
turers do  not  take  into  full  consideration  the 
importance  of  this  branch  of  the  weaver's  work. 
A  saving  of  ten  times  the  expense  of  a  percher 
might  often  be  made  in  cases  where  the  overseer 

114 


has  not  sufficient  time  properly  to  perform  his 
duties.  The  saving  may  be  made,  not  alone  in 
the  mistakes  discovered  and  made  good  before 
the  cloth  goes  into  the  finishing-room,  but  also 
in  preventing  them  from  continuing  in  the  pieces 
that  follow. 

If  in  the  morning  a  piece  be  taken  off  containing 
a  wrong  draw,  thread-out  or  other  defect,  the 
chances  being  that,  whatever  it  was,  it  was  still 
continuing,  what  an  amount  of  sewing  it  will 
cause  if  the  overseer  should  not  get  time  to  look 
that  piece  over  till  the  latter  part  of  the  day  ? 
Even  then  he  may  hurry  it  through  and  over- 
look the  mistake.  All  this  is  more  than  likely; 
it  occurs  very  often.  A  piece  should  be  looked 
over  immediately  after  it  is  taken  off.  You  may 
stop  a  wrong  draw  that  has  only  just  started,  or 
perhaps  one  you  have  missed  on  the  previous  cut. 
Wrong  draws  and  other  like  imperfections,  con- 
tinually going  into  the  finishing-room  will  make 
trouble  for  somebody,  and  they  should  be  stopped 
at  any  cost.  It  is  better  to  lose  a  good  deal  with 
a  loom  standing  than  to  lose  a  little  by  mistakes. 
The  last  heading  should  be  carefully  examined 
on  every  cut,  and  it  is  a  good  plan  to  teach  the 
weavers  to  do  this  before  hooking  the  cloth 
down.  Many  imperfections  may  be  caught  in 
this  way. 

Ticketing. — The  tickets  should  be  attached 
"5 


to  the  last  end  of  the  piece  and  on  the  face.  In 
order  to  insure  regularity  in  this  the  weaver 
should  always  weave  the  string  in  the  heading 
with  the  ticket  attached.  They  should  never  be 
allowed  to  fasten  the  ticket  to  the  cloth  after  it 
is  taken  off  the  loom,  for  they  are  liable  to  get 
it  on  the  wrong  end. 

The  pieces  are  finished  towards  the  number 
end,  and  if  one  ticket  should  be  put  on  one  end, 
and  on  the  next  cut  should  be  put  on  the  oppo- 
site end,  if  the  style  was  one  that  had  a  figure 
that  had  to  be  kept  right  side  up,  or  a  top  and 
bottom  to  it,  as  it  were,  in  order  to  keep  them 
right,  the  nap  would  have  to  be  put  in  oppo- 
site directions  on  these  two  pieces  in  cutting 
them. 

Thorough  inspection  needed.— In  inspect- 
ing the  cloth  over  the  perch,  each  piece  should 
receive  a  thorough  inspection.  The  piece  should 
be  looked  over  the  face,  looked  through,  and  on 
most  goods  it  pays  to  look  the  back  over.  On 
heavy  weights  this  has  to  be  done  and  it  is  some- 
times useful  on  light  weights,  for  an  imperfection 
will  show  plainer  on  the  back  on  some  weaves 
than  it  does  on  the  face.  This  is  due  to  the 
twist  of  the  yarn. 

Measuring. — Everything  should  be  marked 
before  passing  the  piece  over  to  the  sewer-in.  In 
measuring  it  must  be  remembered  that  it  is  not 


an  easy  thing  to  draw  a  piece  over  and  come  out 
exactly  alike  with  a  yard  stick.  It  is  easy  to 
make  a  considerable  percentage  of  difference  in 
the  lengths  and  this  is  an  important  matter,  for 
it  effects  the  weights.  The  finisher  cannot  make 
accurate  calculations  if  there  are  variations  in 
the  weaver's  weights  and  measurements.  The 
measuring  machine  for  perches  is  not  a  lux- 
ury entirely.  By  its  use  the  exact  lengths  are 
obtained  and  the  weights  of  the  goods  are  more 
reliable.  Variation  in  the  weights  should  be  fol- 
lowed up  immediately  after  the  piece  is  weighed. 
It  will  not  do  to  wait  until  the  next  one  comes 
off,  as  then  you  will  be  more  likely  to  have  two 
wrong  weights  instead  of  one. 

The  causes  of  uneven  weights  are  pretty  well 
understood.  The  way  to  prevent  them  will 
probably  never  be  very  satisfactorily  known. 
The  only  way  to  obtain  the  best  results  is  for  the 
overseer  to  take  every  precaution  that  circum- 
stances suggest  and  not  wait  until  he  is  in  trou- 
ble before  beginning  to  look  after  the  work.  The 
lots  should  be  numbered,  and,  whenever  a  new 
lot  is  started,  its  effect  should  be  carefully  noted 
so  that  any  change  that  is  necessary  to  be  made, 
can  be  done  before  it  is  too  late. 

Sewing-in. — After  the  inspection  and  mark- 
ing of  the  cloth  it  is  passed  to  the  sewer-in.  This 
work  if  not  in  the  control  of  the  overseer  of  the 

117 


weaving,  should  be,  for  none  would  derive  as 
much  benefit  from  a  knowledge  of  the  condition 
of  the  goods  as  he  would.  By  having  the  direc- 
tion of  the  sewing,  he  sees  everything  and  can 
thus  keep  himself  acquainted  with  the  work  of 
each  weaver  in  particular,  and  the  whole  room  in 
general.  Under  his  direction  the  mending  can 
be  thoroughly  done  and  according  to  the  weave. 
The  pieces  should  be  looked  over  after  the  sew- 
ing has  been  done.  It  is  the  only  way  that  the 
overseer  can  be  sure  that  his  work  is  complete 
and  perfect. 

Books  for  the  weave-room. — The  books  for 
the  weave-room  are  seldom  alike  in  different 
mills.  I  have  found  good  points  in  every  kind 
that  I  have  used.  Their  arrangement  is  gener- 
ally made  to  suit  the  circumstances  of  the  mill 
where  the  book  is  used.  One  way  would  never 
suit  some  mills,  while  in  others  it  may  be  just 
what  is  wanted. 

In  some  mills  each  piece  is  numbered  consecu- 
tively. This  is  convenient  for  entering,  for  each 
piece  is  entered  as  it  is  measured;  first  come  first 
served.  But  for  reference  it  cannot  be  commend- 
ed, neither  is  it  convenient  in  making  up  the  pay- 
roll. I  think  the  most  popular  and  convenient 
style  of  weave-book  is  like  the  form  here  given. 
There  may  be  slight  changes  to  suit  different 
customs. 

118 


WEAVE-ROOM    BOOK. 


g 

OBO* 

i 

i 

£w<w<£'o>o£-3& 

»»„„„ 

|  MM|     INC. 

3 

5T 

3 

w 

*    *3 

I 

& 

>S 

Loom. 

t 

* 

Picks 

9? 

•0 

•T) 

Shuttles. 

S 

P 

Price. 

r|            = 

Style. 

*M 

"SI 

Yds. 

* 

^rs 

Weight. 

i 

«> 

Beam. 

i 

ill 

Lot. 

K 

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t 

1 

119 


CHAPTER  X. 

CALCULATIONS. 

CALCULATIONS  FOR  WOOLEN  YARNS—"  RUNS  "  AND  "  CUTS  " 
— FULL  EXPLANATIONS — METHODS  WITH  WORSTED  YARNS, 
TABLE  OF  "RUNS,"  "CUTS,"  YARDS  AND  GRAINS — WL1GHT 
IN  A  YARD  OF  WARP — FILLING  CALCULATIONS — TO  FIND 
RUNS  FROM  OUNCES — POUNDS  NEEDED  FOR  CUTS — PERCEN- 
TAGES OF  YARNS — SIZES  OF  PULLEYS — PERCENTAGES  OF 
WOOL,  ETC. 

Woolen-yarn  calculations. — The  base  for 
woolen  yarn  calculations  is  the  "  run."  A  run 
of  yarn  is  I  pound  spun  to  a  length  of  1600 
yards.  When  spinners  are  paid  by  the  run,  they 
receive  so  much  for  spinning  1600  yards  of  yarn 
It  is  well  to  keep  this  in  mind  in  making  a  study 
of  textile  calculations. 

Anyone  can  understand  what  you  mean  when 
you  say  you  want  a  4-run  yarn ;  but  there  are  many 
who  would  not  understand  you  if  you  were  to  say 
you  wanted  600  runs  of  4-run  yarn.  Therefore 
to  know  what  a  run  of  yarn  is  becomes  essen- 
tial in  making  calculations.  The  use  of  the 
terms  "  3-run,"  or  "  4-run "  yarn  might  be 


changed  and  the  terms  %  or  ^  used.  A  3-run 
thread  is  ^  the  size  of  a  i-run  thread,  because 
in  i  pound  cf  i-run  yarn  there  are  1600  yards, 
in  i  pound  of  3~run  yarn  there  are  4800  yards  ; 
therefore  the  3-run,  being  spun  out  to  3  times 
as  many  yards  as  the  i-run,  is  only  ^  the  size. 
4-run  yarn  has  6400  yards  per  pound  and  is 
only  *£  the  size  of  i-run  yarn.  So  if  we  want 
to  add  two  or  more  threads  together,  as  in 
making  double  and  twist  yarn,  we  can  treat  them 
as  we  would  fractions,  nearly. 

To  add  together  the  fractions  ^-f  y2  we  know 
it  would  make  one  whole.  Thus,  ^  -f-  y2  =  |  = 
I.  Now,  of  course  you  can  readily  see  that  ad- 
ding 2  2-run  threads  together  makes  a  i-run 
thread,  so  that  in  this  case,  it  reads  right.  But 
we  will  take  another.  Add  %  and  ^  together 
— in  other  words,  add  a  3-run  and  a  4-run  to- 
gether 

H-i=& 

Now  we  know  that  these  two  threads  cannot 
make  one  as  heavy  as  J?  of  a  run,  less  than  f . 
In  adding  two  fractions  having  i  for  their  num- 
erator, the  rule  is : 

Multiply  the  denominators  together  for  a  new 
denominator,  add  them  together  for  a  numera- 
tor. 

This  we  have  done.  The  result  is  the  frac- 
tion r72,  which  means  that  it  is  not  as  heavy  as 


the  i-run  thread.  So  the  fraction  expresses  cor- 
rectly the  size  of  our  thread,  taking  i-run  for  a 
base.  But  we  want  to  have  it  expressed  in  terms 
that  are  more  pertinent  to  the  subject.  This  we 
can  do  in  all  cases  by  first  inverting  the  terms, 
and  then  proceeding  as  in  ordinary  fractions. 
Thus :  V2=  if  runs,  which  is  correct. 

Another  example:    What  weight  of  thread 
have  we  by  putting  together  3,  7  and  9  runs 


3    7    9 
63 

_63_ 
37 

26 
'61 

2lXl=2I 

9X1=  9 

7Xi=_7 
37 
63 

or  \y£  run  heavy. 

There  arc  other  ways  given  for  doing  this, 
but  I  know  of  no  better  way,  and  it  is  one  that 
will  put  before  you  in  plain  terms  the  size  of 
your  doubled  thread. 

Guts  and  runs. — The  yarn  table  given  here- 
with is  for  runs  and  cuts.  There  are  many  mills 
where  yarn  is  numbered  by  cuts  entirely.  To 
any  one  accustomed  to  numbering  by  runs  it  is 
confusing. 

A  cut  of  yarn  contains  300  yards.     In  3-run 


yarn  \ve  have  4800  yards  in  a  pound.  It  will 
take  1 6  cuts  to  equal  a  3-run  yarn  ;  24  cuts  mul- 
tiplied by  300  equals  7200  yards.  The  latter 
sum  divided  by  1600  gives  us  4^  runs.  Hence 
to  convert  cuts  into  runs,  divide  the  yards  per 
pound  in  the  cut.  numbers  by  1600.  To  convert 
cuts  into  runs,  divide  the  yards  in  the  run  num- 
bers by  300,  and  you  have  the  cuts. 

Worsted  yarns,—  In  worsted  yarn  there  are 
560  yards  per  pound,  this  is  called  a  hank. 
Worsted  is  used  in  woolen  goods  so  much  now 
that  it  is  quite  necessary  for  those  employed  in 
the  woolen  business  to  understand  the  relative 
value  of  the  worsted  thread  in  weight  as  com- 
pared with  a  woolen  thread. 

You  proceed  in  the  same  way  as  in  cuts.  A 
5-run  thread  contains  5x1600=8000,  8000^— 
560=  14.28+  which  is  a  worsted  number.  A 
No.  20  worsted  thread  is  560x20=11,200  yards, 
11,200-^ — 1600=7  runs-  Worsted  yarn  is  used 
double  on  all  except  the  heavy  numbers,  as  2-505, 
2-403,  &c.  The  meaning  of  this  is  that  two  No. 
40  worsted  threads  are  put  together,  so  that  the 
two  are  twice  the  size  of  a  single  thread,  which 
will  make  them  the  weight  of  a  No.  20,  2-503 
would  be  the  weight  of  a  No.  25,  &c. 

All  yarns  are  calculated  on  the  basis  of  7000 
Troy  grains  in  I  pound  avoirdupois.  The  object 
is  to  have  the  avoirdupois  pound,  and  to  use  the 

123 


Troy  grain  as  convenient  divisions  of  it.  That  is 
all  there  is  to  it.  There  are  those  who  have 
different  views  on  the  subject,  but  the  best 
authorities  agree  that  the  above  is  the  right  way. 

TABLE  OF  RUNS,  CUTS,  YARDS  AND  GRAINS. 


BH 


34% 


yds. 


218.8 
1094 

ll5 

fes 

547 

48.6 


33-7 
3'. 
•9.1 
•-'7  3 
•$. 

«4-3 

-3 

£.1 

i.,.y 

3^ 

;^ 


2^.1 

^8 


3''  5 

35- 

33  7 


25 

yas. 

& 

| 

| 

777T 

16.2 

32.4 

15.6 

15  1 

30.2 

14  6 

29.1 

14.1 

28.2 

13  ~i 

27  4 

13.3 

26.5 

12.9 

25-7 

12  5 

25- 

11.2 

24.3 

1  1.  8 

73.6 

11.5 

23- 

112 

22. 

10.9 

91.9 

10.7 

21-3 

10.4 

20.8 

10.2 

20.4 

9-9 

19.9 

9  7 

19-4 

.  . 

9-5 

19. 

•  : 

9-3 
JM 

l8.'2 

Weight  in  a  yard  of  warp.  —  To  show  how 
to  calculate  the  weight  of  yarn  in  a  yard  of  warp, 
we  will  take  a  warp  containing  1600  ends  of  4-run 
yarn,  i  yard  of  warp  gives  us  1600  yards  of 
thread.  If  that  1600  yards  were  i-run  yarn,  we 


124 


should  just  have  i  pound  of  warp.  Being 4-run, 
which  is  y±  the  size  of  the  i-run,  we  have  ^  of 
the  weight,  1^  +  16  =  4  oz.  So  to  obtain  the 
weight  of  yarn  in  the  warp,  divide  the  threads  by 
the  runs. 

Example :     400  )  1 600 

4.00  oz. 

Another:     5.25)4200(8  oz. 
4200 

Write  the  runs  decimally  for  convenience 
in  case  you  have  fractions  of  runs,  as  5.25, 
5.75,  &c. 

Weight  of  yarn.— To  obtain  the  proper 
weight  of  yarn,  the  weight  of  the  goods  wanted 
being  known,  the  process  is  just  opposite  to  the 
other.  To  illustrate:  We  want  to  put  in  1600 
threads  and  want  the  warp  to  weigh  4  oz.,  what 
weight  shall  we  spin  the  yarn? 

oz.  400)1600 

400  runs. 

or,         8ooj420o(5.25  runs. 
4000 
200.0 
1600 


400.0 

Filling  calculation. — For  the  filling  we  mul- 
tiply the  picks  per  inch  and  the  width  in  the  reed 
together,  to  get  the  yards  in  the  filling.  This 


125 


may  not  appear  quite  clear  to  the  learner.  It 
looks  strange  that  I  inch  of  filling  multiplied  by 
the  width  of  the  cloth,  equals  all  the  threads  in 
the  warp.  Well,  suppose  we  take  a  strip  of  the 
cloth  i  inch  wide,  and  we  go  lengthwise  for  I 
yard,  36  inches.  There  are  46  picks  per  inch,  so 
36  -f-  46=  1656  inches  of  yarn.  Now,  we  have 
only  got  i  inch  of  the  width  and  I  yard  of  the 
length.  We  multiply  1656  by  the  total  width, 
which  we  will  call  36  inches.  We  then  have 
59,616  total  inches  of  filling  in  i  yard  of 
cloth. 

We  then  divide  by  36  to  get  these  inches  into 
yards  and  we  have  1656  again,  hence,  the  simple 
rule. 

Multiply  the  width  in  the  reed  by  the  picks  in 
I  inch  for  the  yards  of  filling  in  I  yard  of 
cloth. 

Example:     runs,  4)  1656 

4. 14  oz. 

To  find  the  runs  from  ounces. — To  find 
the  runs,  the  ounces  being  known,  divide  the 
threads  by  ounces  instead  of  the  runs.  The 
weights  thus  obtained  are  the  weights  off  the 
loom,  the  yarn  being  exact,  and  no  account  being 
taken  of  the  listing,  shrinkage  in  weaving,  &c. 
But  these  will  count  up,  of  course,  and  it  will  be 
found  that  the  goods  will  be  heavier  than  the 
weights  produced  by  the  calculation.  This,  to- 

126 


gether  with  the  shrinkage  in  length  in  the  finish- 
ing, will  compensate  for  the  loss  in  weight  by 
scouring,  gigging  and  shearing,  &c.  So  that  the 
weights  finished  will  correspond  with  the  weights 
given  by  the  calculation  as  near  as  can  be.  There 
are  those  who  may  be  more  elaborate  in  their 
method,  but  the  results  are  no  nearer  correct,  of 
this  I  am  certain. 

Pounds  needed  for  cuts. — To  calculate  the 
amount  of  yarn  required  for  a  considerable  quan- 
tity of  yarn,  we  proceed  a  little  differently.  The 
rules  we  have  just  given  relate  to  the  weight  per 
yard.  We  wish  to  find  the  pounds  of  yarn 
needed  for  I  or  more  cuts. 

2970  threads  of  4- run  warp. 
40  yards  per  cut. 


i  run  of  yarn,  1600)118800(74.25  runs. 

By  the  above  process  we  multiply  the  threads 
by  the  number  of  yards  it  will  require  to  weave 
a  cut  of  cloth.  The  cut  may  be  35  yards  or  a 
little  more.  We  allow  it  40  yards  of  yarn  for 
take-up  in  weaving.  We  have  1 1 8,800  yards  of 
yarn,  I  run  of  yarn  (1600)  is  contained  in  that 
74.25  times,  so  we  have  74.25  runs.  To  get  this 
into  pounds,  divide  by  the  size  of  the  yarn, 
thus: 

run  4)74-25 

18.56*^  pounds  of  warp 

127 


for  i  cut.     To  get  the  filling,  \ve  proceed  as  in 
the  former  examples. 

65  inches. 

66  picks. 

~390 

390 

4290 

35  the  yards  of  cloth. 
"21450 
12870 


1600)150150(93.84  runs. 

144° 
615 
480 

1350 
1280 


700 

We  have  multiplied  by  35  the  actual  length  of 
the  cut  when  woven.  We  make  no  allowance 
for  take-up,  because  the  take-up  in  the  warp  does 
not  affect  the  amount  of  filling  put  in. 

Size  of  yarn,  4.25)93.84(22.08  Ibs.  of  filling. 
850 
""884 
850 


3400 


The  weaver  can  make  an  estimate  of  the  filling 
required  to  take  out  certain  warps  that  are  in  the 
loom  in  this  convenient  way.  Suppose  you  have 


128 


21  cuts  in  the  looms,  there  are  56  picks  o\  4.25 
run,  74  inches  wide : 

74 
56 

444 
37-Q 
4144 

35  yards. 


20720 
12432 

1600)145040(90.65   runs. 
1440 
1040 

90.65    run,   multiplied   by  21    (the   cuts),   gives 
1903.63,  total  runs  wanted. 

Percentages  of  yarns.— In  making  calcula- 
tions on  the  percentages  of  yarns  required  where 
different  kinds  are  used  in  one  warp  the  following 
examples  and  illustrations  will  be  of  benefit  to 
some,  I  think. 

You  have  a  warp  dressed  as  follows  : 
2  threads  of  4-run  yarn. 

I  2 

What  percentage  of  each  one  is  required  ? 

We  will  take  the  lightest  thread,  and  take,  say, 
one  pound  for  a  basis.  You  could  take  10  or  100 
pounds  just  a.s  well,  but  this  will  do.  By  taking 
the  lightest  thread  we  are  sure  that  the  others 
will  weigh  more  than  one  pound  and  the  point 

129 


will  be  easier  to  see.  We  say  a  certain  amount 
of  4-run  yarn  weighs  I  pound.  We  have  two  4- 
run  threads,  so  we  repeat  that  and  set  another 
pound  down,  under  the  first.  We  then  have  the 
2-run  thread  and  we  know  that  it  weighs  twice  as 
heavy  as  the  4-run  thread  without  calculating. 
But,  if  it  is  not  so  plain  in  other  sums  that  may 
happen  we  obtain  the  right  result  by  dividing  the 
4-run  by  the  2-run  thread.  This  gives  us  2  pounds. 
Add  them  all  together  and  we  have  4  pounds,  the 
total  weight  of  the  three  threads. 

Now,  we  want  to  find  the  percentage  of  each 
one  of  them  and  we  can  then  make  our  batches  to 
suit  the  quantity  of  yarn  of  each  kind  that  we 
need.  You  find  the  percentage  just  the  same  as 
you  would  find  what  percentage  you  had  taken 
from  $1.00  if  you  had  taken  10  cents  away  from 
it,  which  would  be  done  in  the  following  simple 
way: 

$i  |  ice. 

10  per  cent. 

We  add  two  cyphers  to  the  sum  subtracted,  and 
divide  by  the  original  sum.  The  quotient  is  the 
per  cent,  taken  from  $1.00. 

To  find  the  percentage  of  each  kind  of  yarn 
we  proceed  in  the  same  way. 

Write  the  pounds  decimally  as  in  some  in- 
stances you  will  find  it  necessary. 

130 


I  4-run  thread=i.oo  pound 
I     "         "        =  1.00     " 
I  2-run    "        =2.OO     " 

4.00 

Now,  we  get  the  percentage  of  each  one  and 
from  that  we  can  always  make  a  calculation  as  to 
the  amount  of  yarn  wanted. 
The  operation  : 

I  4>run=i.oo 
i  "  =1.00 
I  2-run=2.oo 

4.00  Ibs. 
4  |  100 

25  per  cent,  of  I  4-run  thread. 

4  |  200 

50  per  cent,  of  i  2-run  thread. 

i  4-run  thread=:  2  5  per  cent. 

I     «          «'       =2$ 

I  2-run     "        =50         " 

100 

Proceed  in  the  same  way  no  matter  how  many 
threads  there  are,  making  a  separate  item  of  each 
thread,  the  percentage  of  all  threads  that  are 
alike  can  be  added  together  afterward.  As  in 
this  illustration  we  have  25  per  cent,  for  each  4- 
run  thread,  they  are  each  of  one  kind  of  stock  so 
we  put  them  together  and  have  50  per  cent. 


To  calculate  the  percentage  on  wool.— 

We  have  a  mix  composed  of 

70  per  cent,  black, 
20    "       "      blue, 
10  "       "       white. 

You  have  on  hand,  say  165  pounds  of  black. 
You  want  to  know  how  many  pounds  of  each  of 
the  other  colors  to  use  to  make  up  the  proper 
proportion,  so  that  you  can  use  all  of  the  black 
you  have  on  hand,  how  would  you  go  about  it  ? 
Some  would  say  20  per  cent,  of  165  is  33.  10 
per  cent  of  165  is  16.50. 

Let  us  see  if  this  would  be  right.     We  will  add 
them  together. 

165       black, 
33       blue, 
16.50  white. 


214.50  total  batch. 

70  per  cent,  of  this  sum  should  be  165,  for,  what- 
ever amount  of  the  other  colors  are  used,  the 
quantity  of  black  on  hand  must  be  70  per  cent, 
of  the  whole  batch.  70  per  cent,  of  214.50  is 
150.14.  We  have  150  pounds  as  representing 
the  70  per  cent,  of  black,  while  we  have  put  in 
165  pounds.  You  will  see  at  once  that  it  is 
wrong ;  the  reason  why  it  is  wrong  is  that  we 
have  taken  20  per  cent,  and  loper  cent.,  respect- 
ively, of  what  at  the  start  was  only  70  per  cent,  of 

132 


what  the  whole  should  be,  thus  lowering  its  per- 
centage and  increasing  the  rest  of  them. 

Now,  let  us  try  another  way.     If  165  is  70  per 
cent,  of  the  batch  wanted,  what  is  I  per  cent,  of 
it  ?     If  we  can  get  that  we  can  multiply  the  I  per 
cent  by  10  or  20  per  cent  or  any  other  amount, 
and  it  gives  us  the  right  result  each  time.     To 
get  i  per  cent,  we  divide  165  by  70,  thus: 
70)165(2.357 
140 

250 
2IO 

40O 
350 
500 
490 
10 

Having  obtained  I  per  cent,  we  multiply  it  by 
each  of  the  proportions  wanted. 

Black— 70  times  2.357=164.990  ft>s. 
Blue  —20     "  47 -HO  " 

White— 10      "         "  23.570   " 

235.700 

It  will  be  seen  by  the  above  that  we  have  for 
black  16410^  pounds,  which  is  as  near  right  as  it 
can  be  brought.  To  prove  the  work,  add  the  10 
and  20  per  cent,  together  and  it  should  leave 
164.99,  when  those  two  are  subtracted  from  the 
the  total  batch. 

133 


By  careful  study  of  the  principles  involved  in 
these  examples  of  textile  calculation,  anyone  en- 
deavoring to  learn  can  find  why  these  problems 
are  worked  out  the  way  they  are.  I  have  en- 
deavored to  avoid  mysterious  signs  and  terms, 
remembering  the  remark  made  by  a  young  man 
who  aspired  to  learn  but  "  got  discouraged  by 
those  crosses,  dots  and  signs.'-  To  those  who 
know  something  more  of  mathematical  calcula- 
tions than  others,  these  examples  will  be  none 
the  less  plain. 

Sizes  of  pulleys. — We  have  a  loom  with  a 
12-inch  driving  pulley  making  2  yr  revolutions 
to  each  pick,  the  line- shaft  makes  146  revolutions 
per  minute,  what  size  of  pulley  do  we  want  to  run 
the  loom  80  picks  per  minute  ? 

2  17X80=216.47,  the  revolutions  per  minute 
of  the  loom  pulley.  216.47X12=2597.64-^-146= 
17.10  size  of  pulley. 

Multiply  2  I?  the  revolutions  per  pick,  by  the 
picks  you  want  the  loom  to  run,  this  gives  speed 
of  the  loom  pulley. 

Multiply  this  by  size  of  the  loom  pulley  12- 
inch,  and  the  product  divided  by  the  speed  of 
the  line-shaft,  146,  gives  the  size  of  the  pulley  we 
want,  17.10. 


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